Stop Chasing Quick Fixes: The Gita’s Lesson on Focusing on Action
I’ve lost count of the number of ads I’ve seen promising the world in a matter of weeks. “learn to do the splits in 2 weeks”. or “Drop two dress sizes in 30 days,”“Six-pack abs before summer.” We live in a culture addicted to speed. Everywhere you look, the promise is faster, easier, now. Thirty days to the body of your dreams. Six weeks to complete transformation. Scroll, tap, receive.
The problem? Quick fixes rarely stick. They play on your frustration, on that restless voice inside that says: “I should be further along by now”., “I should have achieved more,” “I should be healthier, fitter, happier.”
It’s as if life is a race yet nobody can tell you exactly where the finish line is, and still everyone is sprinting. And in this race, your value seems to be measured by how fast you advance. I have been coaching in the wellness space for over two decades, and unfortunately in the past I have unknowingly used the same sales tactics. Pay me for a quick-fix. But when you treat health, fitness or even life itself as a race, you miss most of it while you’re running. The obsession with constant progress can make you blind to the very life you’re trying to improve.
One of the great spiritual teachings is the observation of a child absorbed in play. They’re not checking progress. They’re not worried about falling behind. They’re fully engaged in play itself. That’s why they’re so alive. It’s only when the adults get involved that the race and comparisons enters into their worldview. Somewhere along the way, many of us trade that immersion for competition. We make the mistake of tying our happiness to outcomes that may or may not arrive on our timeline.
Letting go of the finish line
Does this mean you shouldn’t set goals? No. It means you stop pinning your happiness on a finish line that doesn’t exist. You eat well not because of what the scales might say in six months, but because your body deserves nourishment today. You move because movement itself is a form of being alive and not a punishment to “get ahead.”
When you let go of rushing, when you focus on stacking the right actions day after day, the outcomes eventually arrive. Stronger, healthier, calmer, more resilient. Not because you chased them, but because you showed up consistently for the actions that create them.
Two thousand years ago, the Bhagavad Gita, one of Indias and yoga’s most valued books, cut through this illusion of a race. Krishna (in the story Krishna is a representation of the higher/inner Self or for those who have belief in a God, then the Almighty incarnate to give advice), tells Arjuna the warrior Prince: “you have control over your actions, not over their results.” In modern language - stop obsessing over outcomes you can’t command, and start committing to the actions that you can.
Goals matter. They give us direction. But the true work is asking, what actions am I actually taking today that move me closer to that goal?
Quick fixes rely on motivation, and motivation always fades. Action without clinging to outcome builds something stronger, discipline. Discipline carries you through the dips, the delays, the seasons when results seem invisible. And when the timing is right, the outcomes appear on the universe’s clock, not yours.
Join Me In September
I’m excited to share new classes, new venues and more online coaching this September. If you want to learn how to nourish your body with nutrition, yoga, fitness and weight training the way I do and have for two decades, then this is the call to join me. You can join in-person at my personal studio and new venues in Cheshire, or even online. Details to follow.
Have an incredible week.
Stuart