“Matt, I just feel like such a failure,” he said.

“I had all these plans. Wrote everything out. Set my targets. And then… Day 1 came. Missed. Day 2? Thought I’d be better. Missed again. Before I knew it, the week was over—and I hadn’t taken action on anything. I feel like a loser.”

You could see the disappointment on his face. Defeat. Embarrassment. Anger.

I looked at him and said:

“Alright, let’s slow it down. Why do you think you missed? Let’s start there.”

He sighed.

“Honestly? I took so much time off over the holidays that it was hard to get back into it. Every time I tried to start training again… I cringed.”

I nodded. “Got it. So the pain of restarting is what’s stopping you?”

“Exactly!”

And that’s when we got to work.

The Secret to Snapping Back Into Action

I asked him: “What if you never took action again? Never trained again?”

He scoffed. “I’d never do that.”

“Exactly. So we already know—you WILL train again, right?”

“Yes, definitely. I have to.”

“Why?”

And that’s when the breakthrough happened.

He said, “Because if I didn’t, I’d be out of a job. I wouldn’t be able to help my family or build the life I want. I’d miss out on opportunities after my career…”

He kept going—each word firing him up.

Then I asked:

“Now that you’ve seen what happens if you don’t take action, how do you feel?”

His eyes lit up. “More motivated than ever!!”

That’s the key.

Pain drives action.

Pain vs. Pleasure: The Simple Psychology of Action

Everything you do comes down to two things:

1. Avoiding pain

2. Gaining pleasure

That’s it.

🔹 Why do people buy expensive clothes? Because the pain of not having them (the meaning they give to it) is too much to handle. So they spend money to avoid that pain.

🔹 Why did Michael Jordan train like a beast? Because the pain of not being the best was unbearable. So he worked relentlessly to make sure he never experienced that pain.

Now, let’s bring it back to you.

If you’ve already fallen off your New Year’s targets (like most people)… take a trip down Pain Lane.

Ask yourself:
❌ What happens if I don’t take action?
❌ What will I lose?
❌ What kind of life will I have?

That pain will push you into action fast.

And once you start? The rhythm kicks in.

So don’t beat yourself up if you’ve slipped. Just get back on track.

It’s Week 1 of the year. Don’t catastrophize it. Just move.

Need to Understand What Drives You?

If you want real insights into what fuels you—so you never fall off track—take our Resilience Profile.

✅ Find out exactly what motivates you

✅ Gain leverage on yourself

✅ Improve your resilience to dominate this year

Some of the world’s best athletes use these insights to change their careers.

Don’t leave your success to chance. Check it out.

➡️ Get the Resilience Profile Now

Matt “Pain vs Pleasure” Caldaroni

Ps - check out our free stuff:

🎥 YouTube
🎧 Apple Podcasts
🎧 Spotify