Old Photos and Big Transformation

You know the feeling you get when you look back at an old photo. Whether it’s of you or a friend, it can be jarring. “Look how young we look!” We also notice drastic weight changes (usually in the face). This phenomenon is worth looking into for a second.

The old photo experience is a mechanism for creating space between progress check-ins. It marks a moment in time from the past and allows us to jump from the present back to that moment, skipping all the moments in between. It’s this mechanism that brings out the contrast.

The irony is that we are still startled by the big difference between what we see today and how things looked back then, regardless of the important fact that we were present for all the time in between not noticing any change. If we read into this, we can learn an important lesson. Big change happens over time but in tiny increments that are often not noticeable on a daily basis.

In fact, regardless of what kind of transformation you’d like to make, you won’t be able to gauge your success on a daily basis. It’s best to put your head down and work at it and enjoy the dramatic results a while down the road. After all, how discouraging would it be to take on a drastic weight loss goal by weighing yourself everyday?

Logan Gelbrich

@functionalcoach