Control. Let’s talk about it.
I could go for hours on this topic – because I think most people have it completely backwards.
They think control is about managing everything around them. Their schedule, their family, their circumstances. And when that falls apart – when life gets loud and chaotic – they white-knuckle the one or two things they can manage, sometimes to the point of dysfunction.
But that isn’t control. That’s fear dressed up as control.
The kind of control I want to talk about today is different. It’s the kind that actually moves the needle on your life.
After 15+ years in fitness and behavioral coaching, I’ve heard every version of the same excuse.
And I say that with full empathy – because I’ve had clients who were genuinely overwhelmed, genuinely stretched thin, genuinely doing a lot for a lot of people.
But what sticks out to me the most is that the people who can’t find 45 minutes to train usually can’t find traction in other areas either.
You know the ones.
They sound like this:
“I have zero time – between the kids, work, and everything I do for other people, there’s nothing left for me.”
“The only gym near me is a Planet Fitness.” (Said like Planet Fitness is a landfill.)
“I can’t eat healthy because my family won’t eat what I cook, and I’m not going to make two dinners.”
I don’t say this to be harsh – I say it because I recognize what’s actually happening here.
Every single one of those statements hands your outcome to something outside yourself.
Your kids’ schedule controls your body. Your gym’s equipment controls your fitness. Your family’s food preferences control your health. You’ve essentially outsourced the results of your own life to other people’s choices.
And I’ll just go right ahead and say it: that’s a choice too.
Saying “I don’t have time” feels a lot better than saying “I haven’t made this a priority.” The former makes you a victim of circumstance. The latter means you have to own it – and ownership is uncomfortable.
But ownership is also empowerment.
You cannot control what life throws at you.
I know that better than most – I’ve raced through injuries, navigated chaos as a business owner, and shown up on starting lines when everything around me was a mess.
What you can control – 100%, every single time – is how you respond.
What you decide to do with the time you have.
What you’re willing to do to show up for yourself.
I’m talking about more than just an Instagram motivational meme… it’s actually behavioral science.
Your choices, repeated over time, become your results. Full stop.
So if you’ve been handing that control over – to your schedule, your family, your circumstances – I want you to make one small decision differently today.
Not a complete overhaul. Just one decision.
Take back the wheel. Your body, your health, your life – they’re waiting on you.
