Results Are Visible. The Battle Is Not.

Results Are Visible. The Battle Is Not.

We live in a world that celebrates outcomes.

Our life is saturated with overwhelming success stories. Medals, promotions, speeches, finish lines and physiques. We celebrate the result.

What we rarely celebrate is everything that happened before those moments. The quiet decisions, the self-doubt, the routines, the setbacks, and all the underlying work done in the shadows that made it possible.

That’s the part of the story I want to tell.

The quiet work that happens before any of those moments. Are you pushed, or do you push yourself?

The internal monolog “yes or no”, the personal insecurities, my racing mind, and the relentless battle between the person you know you can become, and the voice that keeps whispering, “Why bother?”.

It wasn’t until later in life, when I truly understood more about how my brain challenges me, that so much of my life suddenly made sense. Not as an excuse, but as an explanation.

Many people are neurodiverse but the more I’ve understood it, the more I see it. Too often, though wrapped up in struggle, addiction, burnout or a downward spiral.

For me a categorisation explained why my mind rarely sat still. Why I constantly searched for a challenge. Why I could become completely consumed by a goal, yet struggle with things that seemed effortless to everyone else. Why I could feel unstoppable one day & completely overwhelmed the next.

Most importantly, it explained why I’d spent years leaning intro things that balance mood. Nature, adrenaline, water and a personal challenge. A bio hack & toolkit to regulate the mind without even realising it.

Today, before the moments that matter, I rarely rely on motivation. Because, quite often, motivation never arrives. I rely on preparation.

D.O.S.E has changed my life. (Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin & Endorphins)

Whether it’s a keynote speech, an important customer meeting, a demanding day, or standing on the start line of the next big event.

I know what’s coming. It always does.

• Fear.

• Self-doubt.

• What the **** have I done?

• The internal voice saying, “What if you can’t?”

But with D.O.S.E I’ve learnt I can get ahead of spiralling negative thoughts. Change my perspective to positive one. Not by preparing my body, but by preparing the mind. This toolkit has given me everything. But it’s an all-consuming daily bio-hack that I wanted to share, especially to people who might feel the same.

The What

Sometimes it means going for a run. Pretty much every day it means exercise, the earlier the better!

Most days it means an early cold shower, or even better, a 3+ minute ice bath.

Ten minutes of meditation. Anywhere, Just stopping to think. What do I value?. Who do I appreciate? What am I grateful for in life?

Most days it’s a sauna. Ideally 19 mins+ at 80+ degrees. Heat stress is your friend, and is linked to insane longevity benefits. It’s time to stop & reset.

That’s it. The challenge is finding the time. Everyday.

Morning light. Sacrarium Rhythm. Cold. Movement. Stillness. Breathing and finally Sleep.

I won’t pretend to be a neuroscientist. There is well documented information on D.O.S.E, and I know the science is more nuanced than a simple acronym. But for the people in life that I’ve shared this with, the results always deliver!

The science is far more complex, but the principle resonates deeply. If you consistently invest in the habit, you alway function more positively.

For me all this doesn’t come naturally. No, I’m not naturally motivated. Not at all. That’s exactly why the routines matters to me.

In fact, what really frustrates me (and I get it a lot) is when people assume all of this output comes easily. They see the outcome, not the effort. They see the discipline, not the battle.

“You’re so disciplined.” Or “I wish I had your motivation.” Wrong. (ask my wife) I genuinely appreciate the compliment. But it misses the point.

None of this is automatic. The routines are hard work. But they make life manageable

Preparing for my desert ultra has reminded me that endurance isn’t just physical. It’s emotional.

I’ve stopped chasing the idea of becoming fearless or even appearing to be fearless. Instead, I’ve learned to become less afraid, and part of this process is actually writing this down, being more vulnerable.

Learning to embrace failure big or small. Every setback has something to teach. To realise that courage isn’t the absence of fear, it’s moving forward despite it.

Preparation doesn’t remove fear. It gives fear less control. It trains your brain to think differently, and from the marginal gains I’ve seen, mindfulness is power over everything. Set the goal, commit and try not to miss.

Life certainly was not gifted to me. Like many people, I’ve experienced trauma, tragedy and long periods where I wished I’d had more guidance than I did.

I have leaned into talented, high achieving people my whole life. Studied how they responded to setbacks, how they treated others, and piece by piece I borrowed lessons and quietly raised my own personal bar, yet I’m constantly critiqued for being too ambitious, go figure.

I still don’t have half the answers. But I’ve realised something important. My curiosity. My desire to keep growing. My ambition to become a better person, to provide a better life for my family are now far greater than my fear of failing, and it starts with consistently setting up the day.

The results are visible. The battle is not. Namibia t-minus 6 x weeks. Training for this desert marathon has changed me for the better. Just the process is positively mind changing.

I don’t know if I’ll finish 250k on 16th August, but I do know I’ll start.

Fuck you sand, I’m doing it anyway!

Originally published on blogspot. https://rosselliottjackson.blogspot.com/.../results-are...

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