Ramit Sethi tells about a man who lost 18 pounds on a treadmill then quit because he hated it. The lesson: you'll abandon any strategy, no matter how effective, if the process feels miserable. This applies to money, fitness, and work.
Years ago, we ran a fitness program in my company. We had a full-time trainer and we were helping people lose weight or put on more muscle. So there was one person who quit. His goal was to lose 20 pounds and we tracked everything. He lost 18 pounds and I was shocked to see him quit because he essentially hit his goal. So I get on the phone with him and I ask him, why did you quit? I mean, you seem to have been doing so well. I'm really curious. And you know what he told me? I hate the treadmill. Think about that. He hit his goal. He had been trying to lose 20 pounds for years and he did it, but he hated the way that he got there. And I think this is such a profound lesson for anyone who's trying to change their life. Even if they achieve the thing they thought they wanted, they have to enjoy the process. I could show you the perfect way to manage your money and to make more money and find a better job and all that stuff. But if you don't enjoy the way that you do it, you're very likely to just quit.
