“𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗝𝗮𝗿”: 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀
We’ve all been there. Six weeks into a new training programme or habit change, and it feels like you’re going absolutely nowhere. The motivation has worn off, the progress feels invisible, and you’re questioning whether any of this is actually working.
This is where the jar comes in.
Here’s the concept: Every single training session, workout, or step towards your goal gets a pebble in a jar. Every. Single. One.
Here’s the reality of training: roughly a third of your sessions will feel absolutely brilliant. You’ll hit personal bests, everything clicks, and you’ll leave buzzing. Another a third will feel perfectly average. Fine, nothing special, job done. And the final a third? They’ll feel like absolute torture. You’ll question everything, feel like you’ve achieved nothing, and wonder why you bothered.
But here’s the clever bit:
🪨 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 (feeling strong, hitting PBs, everything clicking) = small pebble
🪨 𝗔𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 (felt fine, ticked the box, nothing special) = medium pebble
🪨 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 (felt like treacle, wanted to quit, but showed up anyway) = big stone
Why the big stone for the rubbish days? Because those are the sessions that build champions. When your body doesn’t want to move and your mind is telling you to quit, but you lace up anyway, you’re training two things: your physical capacity AND your mental resilience.
The jar doesn’t lie. It fills at exactly the same rate as your progress, even when you can’t see it. It’s a visual reminder that consistency trumps perfection, and that every single effort moves the needle.
The plateau isn’t a stop sign. It’s just the jar filling up beneath the surface.
Whether you’re training for sport, building a business, or changing any aspect of your life, trust the process. Fill the jar. The breakthrough is coming.
What’s your jar filling up with right now?
