The One You Commit To
On consistency and the myth of the perfect method
“Bro, this is it. Six months and we will completely transform ourselves.”
Rajat stood before the gym mirror, flexing his arms after the first workout. Sweat covered his face but his excitement made him look unstoppable.
“You’ll see,” he said. “People won’t even recognise us.”
I laughed and nodded.
Like most people who join a gym in January, we had entered with oversized goals and undersized patience.
The first few days felt exciting.
New shoes. Protein shakes. Workout selfies. Fitness videos.
Rajat spoke more about the future version of himself than the present one.
A week later, he called me.
“Bro, my entire body is hurting. What about yours?”
“It’s terrible,” I said. “Everything hurts. But I think that means our muscles are adapting. I heard it gets better.”
Silence followed.
Then Rajat said, “I don’t think gym is the best option for weight loss. Yoga is better for long-term fitness.”
The next month, he joined yoga.
I stayed at the gym.
For a few weeks, his social media filled with sunrise pictures, meditation quotes and flexibility poses.
Then one day I called him.
“How’s yoga going?”
“It’s too slow,” he said. “Martial arts burn more calories.”
A few months later, martial arts disappeared too.
Then came:
Cycling
Intermittent fasting
Home workouts
Dance fitness
Every few months Rajat found a better method.
Every few months he abandoned the previous one.
Meanwhile, I stayed at the same gym.
Not because I loved it every day.
Some days I skipped workouts. Some days I hated going. Some days I sat outside for ten minutes convincing myself to enter.
But I kept returning.
Almost two years later, we met at a friend’s wedding.
Rajat looked at me for a few moments before speaking.
“You lost so much weight,” he said.
My shirt size had changed. My face looked sharper. Climbing stairs no longer left me breathless.
Then I looked at him.
He had gained more weight than before.
“What happened to yoga?” I asked.
“It wasn’t the best method,” he replied. “Martial arts was better.”
“Great. So you still practice it?”
“Nope,” Rajat said. “Too exhausting.”
“So cycling?”
“Nope.” He shook his head. “Too time-consuming. But I think HIIT is the best method for weight loss. I’m joining a studio tomorrow.”
“Don’t,” I said. “It won’t help you.”
Rajat creased his brows.
“You think HIIT isn’t the best technique?”
“Most methods work,” I said.
Rajat looked at me.
“But you need to stay with one long enough.”
He stayed quiet.
Music from the wedding hall echoed behind us while people moved around the buffet counters.
I picked up a glass of water from the table beside us and looked at him.
“The best decision is the one you commit to.”
Quiet Clarity:
The method rarely fails you. You fail the method.
