The Real Reasons We Hold Ourselves Back (And What Your Future Self Wants You to Know)

Ivy didn’t join Lock & Key Fitness because anything was wrong. 

She had been going to the gym for years.
She had worked with nutrition coaches before.
She knew her stuff.

But inside, something felt off.

Her energy was low. Stress felt constant. Hormonal pain had quietly become normal. Food had been a struggle for most of her life – not in a dramatic way, but in a way that never fully resolved. No matter what she tried, nothing really stuck.

She described it simply:
She felt stale.
She felt blah.
She didn’t quite feel like herself.

That’s a hard place to be.

Because it’s not a crisis.
It’s not loud enough to force action.
But it’s persistent enough to keep whispering, “This isn’t it.”

What made Ivy hesitate wasn’t a lack of desire for change.

It was the fear that this would just be another version of everything she’d already tried – another cookie-cutter plan, another short burst of progress, another quiet disappointment.

And if any part of that feels familiar, it’s probably because you’re not stuck either.

You’re standing at the edge of something bigger.

What We Really Want When We Say We Want “Results”

Being proud when you look in the mirror is powerful. But what you want more is bigger than that. 

You want energy that shows up in the moments that matter:
finishing the workday without being wiped out,
having patience with your kids,
saying yes to plans without calculating how exhausted you’ll be afterward.

You want confidence that isn’t performative – the kind that shows up quietly in how you stand, how you speak, how you choose clothes in the morning without overthinking or hiding.

You want strength that makes life feel easier.
Less bracing for pain.
Less tension in your body.
Less mental weight carried from one day to the next.

You want to trust yourself – to make decisions you feel grounded in, instead of second-guessing, restarting, or negotiating with yourself.

And maybe most of all, you want to feel that your effort is going somewhere – that it’s building something sustainable instead of demanding constant sacrifice.

Not a version of progress that burns out.
A version that lets you exhale and think,
“This fits. I can thrive like this.”

Those desires don’t come from vanity.

They come from a quiet knowing that life can feel even fuller than it does right now – and that you’re capable of stepping into that version of yourself.

So Why Is It So Hard to Say Yes to What We Want?

Here’s the part that doesn’t get talked about enough:

We don’t hold ourselves back because we’re lazy or undisciplined.

We hold ourselves back because change – even good change – is unsettling.

Growth asks something of us.

It asks us to let go of old identities…

and imagine becoming someone new.

And that’s scary.

Because if things really change…
If this actually works…
Then who do you become?

What standards do you have to live up to?
What excuses disappear?
What parts of your story no longer apply?

Staying where you are may be uncomfortable – but it’s familiar.

Growth is unfamiliar.

The Mindset Traps That Keep Us Stuck

In our Masterclass, we talked about the invisible beliefs that quietly sabotage progress. They don’t sound dramatic – they sound reasonable.

“I just need to wait until life calms down.”
“I’m not consistent enough for something like this.”
“I don’t want fitness to take over my life.”
“What if I fail again?”
“What if I succeed… and can’t keep it up?”

These aren’t excuses.

They’re protective mechanisms.

They’re your brain trying to keep you safe from change and uncertainty.

But here’s the truth most people don’t realize until later:

The fear isn’t really about failure.

It’s about what happens if you succeed.

Because success changes expectations – including the ones you have for yourself.

What Ivy Discovered on the Other Side of the Fear

When Ivy finally decided to give this a try, it wasn’t because her doubts magically disappeared.

It was because she realized that waiting for certainty had kept her stuck longer than any past attempt ever had.

What she found wasn’t restriction or pressure.

It was relief.

Her nutrition didn’t become more rigid – it became simpler. Flexible food options and a crystal clear meal plan removed the mental noise around food. She could fuel well and enjoy life. 

Her training became intentional.

Accountability stopped feeling heavy. She knew exactly what to do when she showed up – no guesswork, no winging it.

Within the first month, the changes surprised her.

Less stress.
No more painful hormones.
More energy.
More confidence.

As her body changed – losing 25 pounds, adding lean muscle, fitting into her clothes differently – a deeper shift happened internally.

She felt like herself again.

The Real Reason We Hold Ourselves Back

It’s not lack of information.

It’s not lack of motivation.

It’s fear of stepping into our own potential.

Because once you experience what it feels like to be supported…
Once progress stops feeling fragile…
Once you realize consistency isn’t about willpower but environment…

You can’t un-know that.

And growth asks you to live differently.

That’s intimidating.

But it’s also where everything you want lives.

What Changes When You Stop Doing This Alone

The biggest shift our clients experience isn’t just physical.

It’s mental.

Food feels calmer.
Training feels purposeful.
Progress feels steady instead of stressful.

You stop negotiating with yourself every day.
You stop wondering if you’re “doing enough.”
You stop feeling like you’re behind.

An Invitation to Your Future Self

Your future self isn’t demanding perfection.

They’re just asking for support.

They know that staying the same costs more than changing.
They know that growth is uncomfortable – but stagnation is heavier.

And they’re quietly hoping you trust yourself enough to take the next step.

If you’re ready to stop circling the decision and start building real momentum, we’d love to support you inside The Lock & Key Collective.

Your future self is already grateful you’re here.