Today something interesting happened at work.

I walked into the office and two of the GPs were chatting about running.

They were discussing whether strength training could improve their running performance.

So naturally, I joined the conversation.

I explained that most runners struggle with poor glute engagement, often having overdeveloped quads and tight hamstrings.

This usually comes from being sedentary and not training the glutes properly — which are actually one of the main drivers of power.

And funnily enough…

The same thing applies to cyclists.

That’s when one of the GPs said:

“Ah… this must be why Neil has 10,000 followers on Instagram.”

The other GP had only just discovered my coaching and social media and said something like,

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

Now here’s the interesting part.

Instead of simply saying “Thank you”, I immediately brushed it off.

I said something like:

“Oh it’s nothing really… it’s just followers.”

And I moved the conversation on.

Later on I caught myself thinking…

Why did I do that?

Because the truth is, I’ve worked hard to build that audience.

Not for vanity.

But to reach more people who want to become stronger, leaner cyclists over 40.

The more people I reach…

The more people I can help through my content and coaching.

It reminded me of a concept from the book The Big Leap.

It talks about how we often self-sabotage our success.

For example:

Someone in a great relationship might start finding faults in their partner…

Not because the relationship is bad.

But because deep down they feel they don’t deserve something that good.

And in a small way…

I probably did the same thing today.

I downplayed something positive instead of acknowledging it.

And it made me realise something that might apply to you too.

If you’re someone with big goals…

You’re probably also very hard on yourself.

You focus on:

• What you haven’t achieved yet

• What still needs improving

• What the next milestone is

Instead of recognising how far you’ve already come.

I see this with cyclists all the time.

You might be doing weeks of structured training…

Zone 2 rides

Strength work

Recovery sessions

And thinking:

“Is this actually working?”

But progress often shows up after consistency.

In fact, one of my clients John experienced this just this weekend.

He’s been working with me for about five months.

And suddenly all the work he’s been putting in showed up.

He hit multiple PBs on climbs.

Now imagine if he had quit two months in because he thought it wasn’t working.

He would have missed the breakthrough.

So here’s the reminder today:

Don’t be so quick to dismiss the progress you’ve made.

Whether that’s:

• Showing up to train

• Improving your consistency

• Getting stronger

• Losing weight

• Or simply staying committed

All of that adds up.

And eventually…

It pays off.

If you’d like results like John has achieved over the last five months, you can learn more about my coaching below.

You can sign up directly without a coaching call.

But if you’re still on the fence or have any questions, just reply to this email and I’ll happily help.

Neil