The gym with no mirrors (and why you’re quitting too early)

I was at the gym and something hit me hard.

A year ago, I was in this exact same place, tired and desperate, working on a business I’d just bought with no idea what I was doing, I didn’t have the body I wanted, the life I wanted, and I damn sure didn’t feel like the person I wanted to be.

Today, I’m back in that same gym and although it FEELS like I’m starting the fitness journey over, everything has changed.

I have amazing customers. I have a community that’s growing. I have momentum.

But here’s the thing that scared me: If I hadn’t been documenting every small win along the way, I would have quit.

The gym with no mirrors

This reminded me of a story I read this week.

An entrepreneur was asked by a student how to stay motivated.

Instead of answering directly, he said:

“I’ve started a new gym. It’s free, but there are three rules:

1. No mirrors
2. No scales or measuring tape
3. You work out completely alone

How many days would you go to this gym?”

The student said maybe a week.

“Even if you were actually getting stronger? Even if you were losing weight?”

Still a week, maybe less.

"Why is this the case? "

Because without a sense of progress, we quit. Even when we’re winning, we can't tell.

The invisible progress problem

I realized something about myself these past few months. Every time I felt like quitting, it was because I couldn’t see the progress I was making.

When I wasn’t tracking my daily actions, small wins felt meaningless. When I wasn’t writing down customer feedback, I forgot how much value I was creating. When I wasn’t documenting my thoughts, I lost sight of how much I was learning and growing.

I was working out in a gym with no mirrors.

For me, I remember when it all started to change... It was when I started treating my business and life like a scientist treats an experiment.

Every day, I wrote down things like:

• What I worked on
• Things that went well
• Things I learned
• What I’ll focus on tomorrow

And I still do this throughout the day as I go, whether it's brain dumps or voice messages, I just jot these observations down like a scientist might in his lab.

But those 60 second notes are what will keep me going when my next efforts take time. They’re what reminded me I was making progress when my desired outcomes weren't showing. They’re what helped me see patterns in what was working and what wasn’t.

And this isn't just me!

Donna, one of the most active members in the community had this to say the other day:
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Notice what Donna said about halfway in "l'm finishing more than I ever thought possible in such a short time! Using CreateOS to put all my data in one place has also been eye-opening. I can finally see how much I've already accomplished, and now l'm drawing from that work to build even faster. I hadn't realized just how much effort l've already poured into my website business."​
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I wish I could say this is special to JUST CreateOS but it's just the universal truth that writing things down MATTERS. It builds momentum and makes progress tangible in ways we didn't realize we need.

Why your brain lies to you about progress

Your brain is wired to forget small wins and magnify recent problems. It’s not your fault, it’s evolution. When our ancestors had a bad day hunting, they needed to remember that failure to avoid making the same mistake.

But in our modern world, this means:

• You remember the project that flopped, not the skills you gained
• You focus on the customer who complained, not the five who thanked you
• You see the days you missed your goal, not the habit you’re slowly building

Without documentation, your brain’s negativity bias will convince you you’re failing when you’re actually winning.

The system that saves you from quitting

Here’s what I wish someone had told me when I started:

Progress without documentation, without awareness, will feel meaningless.

You need mirrors. You need a scale. You need proof that you’re moving forward, even when it doesn’t feel like it.

The most successful people I know don’t succeed because they’re more motivated. They succeed because they’ve built systems that give them a sense of progress even on the hard days.

They write things down. They track what matters. They review where they’ve been. They celebrate small wins.

This isn’t about complicated productivity systems or fancy apps. It’s about creating evidence that you’re not the same person you were yesterday.

What to document (starting today)

If you take away just one thing from this email, let it be this:

Start documenting your journey. Today.

It doesn’t matter if you’re building a business, learning a skill, or trying to get healthier. Document it.

Here’s some simple ways to start:

1. Daily actions: What did you do today toward your goal?
2. Small wins: What went better than expected?
3. Lessons learned: What would you do differently?
4. Tomorrow’s focus: What’s the one thing you’ll prioritize?

Do this for 30 days. I promise you’ll be shocked at how much progress you’ve actually made.

Every setback becomes data, every challenge becomes a hypothesis to test. This shifts the emotional weight of “failure” to the practical value of feedback.

The compound effect of small records

When I look back at my notes from a year ago, I see someone who was scared, overwhelmed, and questioning every decision.

Today’s notes show someone who’s learning, adapting, and building something meaningful.

This is exactly why I emphasize the importance of having a system that remembers what our biological brains are designed to forget. The evidence of progress becomes fuel for persistence, especially during those inevitable valleys where motivation alone isn’t enough.

The business results matter, but the personal growth is what makes it all worth it. And I only know about that growth because I wrote it down.

Your future self needs evidence of who you’re becoming. Give them that gift.

A little 3-2-1 to end this newsletter

One thing I’m working on:

Slowing down and doing one thing at a time. I’ve been rushing through tasks trying to get everything done, but this week I discovered that when I work on just one thing with full focus, I actually get more done AND it feels better.

Two things worth stealing:

1. The “competing commitment” concept We don’t fail because we lack willpower, we fail because we have hidden commitments to staying comfortable, safe, or looking good that compete with our stated goals. Ask yourself: “What am I committed to that conflicts with what I say I want?”
2. Upstream vs. downstream thinking from Simple Marketing for Smart People: Most problems are solved downstream (the symptoms), but the real leverage is upstream (the root cause). Instead of constantly putting out fires, ask: “What upstream decision could prevent this downstream problem?”

Three things I learned this week:

1. Disconnecting from the internet makes me write better. When I worked for 3 hours with no internet this week, my focus was laser-sharp and my output doubled. Our brains crave distraction, even if we don’t give in, just the option can exhaust our willpower.
2. Fasting reset my relationship with food. It reminded me that most of my eating is habitual, not hunger. Sometimes the best way to change a pattern is to completely break it for a while.
3. Systems thinking reveals the real problem. As Donella Meadows writes: “We can’t impose our will on a system. We can listen to what the system tells us, and discover how its properties and our values can work together.” This helped me realize that I don’t need to try harder to fight the system and it’s outputs to be something different, but rather understand it so I can align myself with it.

Quote of the Week

“Progress is like making biscuits from scratch, even when you can’t see ‘em rising in the oven, something magical’s happening in there. Just gotta trust the process.” - Something my Personal-AI “Atlas” said.

What’s one area of your life where you feel like you're working hard but can’t see the progress?

Reply and tell me. (YES, I DO read every response).

(P.S. If you’re never documented your journey with a system that actually works, respond and tell me why! (this is a chance to get the reader to tell me some of their beliefs and learn more about them, maybe a different question here?)

Cheers,
Noah

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