You Think You’re Done?

Listen….

I know that moment when your mind whispers “Enough…. you’ve done enough today.”

I’ve been there too. Exhausted,ready to shut down, convinced you’re given all you’ve got. But I already learn something important:

Phase 1 The Mirror Moment

Look yourself in the eye. Not in a judgement. Ask honestly: “Did I truly give my best? Or did I give util it became uncomfortable?” That answer is where everything changes.

Your mind isn’t trying to sabotage you—it’s trying to protect you. It whispers “stop” long before you’re actually done.

Because your mind trying to protect from the uncomfortable feeling.

Take the example of someone doing 100 squats. In reps 10–20, the mind can still tolerate it. But around reps 50–90, the mind starts to break down. The quads are burning, and the mind begins to feel extreme discomfort. Because of that, the mind keeps telling you to stop — even though you still have the potential to keep going.

Phase 2 — The Extra Reps That Change You

Growth doesn't live in what’s comfortable. It lives in what comes after you think you’re finished.

If we push ourselves and then stop just because it feels uncomfortable, how are we supposed to grow?

If you still struggle to push yourself, I have a method I used when I first started.

The Methods

When that uncomfortable feeling shows up — whether it’s muscle burning, boredom, or heavy breathing — count down from 4 seconds, then stop.This is effective, especially if you’re not used to pushing yourself further.

Why do I say, “That extra rep will change you”?

Because over time, you will start getting used to discomfort. As a result, you stop relying on what feels easy and comfortable.

Take myself as an example.

At first, I wasn’t used to the sensation of muscle burning. It felt extremely uncomfortable.

But as time went on, I embraced that feeling. Eventually, whenever I didn’t feel muscle burning during a workout, I felt disappointed and regretful.

Forty Percent Rule Difficulty:

🟢 Easy — The Awareness Level

At this level, a person begins to realize that the limit they feel is not their true limit. It’s simply the brain’s first warning signal, a protective mechanism, not a real stopping point.

When someone feels tired but still takes one more step, one more rep, or one more breath of effort, they’ve already won the first level. Because the victory here is not physical, it’s the moment you understand that discomfort is not the end.

The core idea:

You feel tired → your mind tells you to stop → but you choose to keep going.

This awareness alone starts to unlock the remaining 60% that your mind has been holding back.

🟡 Normal — The Resistance Level

At this level, a person doesn’t just recognize the brain’s warning signal — they actively fight against it. They begin to understand that the mind is not telling them to stop because they are at their real limit, but because the brain is trying to protect them from discomfort. And in that moment, they start to realize that there is still 60% of untapped potential waiting beyond the initial pain.

Here, the sensation is no longer just simple fatigue. It becomes a mix of multiple forms of discomfort: the burning in the muscles, the sharp sting of pain, the boredom that eats at your patience, the heavy breathing that makes you question yourself.

This is the point where both the body and the mind start negotiating with each other.

Very few people ever reach this level. Because the truth is — most people quit the moment discomfort appears. They interpret pain as a command to stop, instead of a signal to grow. They choose comfort over progress, and that decision keeps them stuck at the same level for years.

🔴 Hard — The Expansion Level

This is the highest level of the forty percent rule. At this stage, a person doesn’t just fight the brain’s signals telling them to stop, they form an alliance with the pain. Pain becomes fuel, It becomes a transmission that drives growth.

When you look closely, this final level is no longer about simply continuing or finishing. It becomes a process of transforming yourself, reshaping who you are, and discovering a version of you that only pain can reveal.

A powerful example of this is David Goggins during Badwater 135 in 2006. Throughout the race, he faced dozens of forms of discomfort: severe dehydration, blisters bursting open, toenails falling off, cramping throughout his legs, dizziness and blurred vision, intense heat from the Death Valley sun.

Any normal person would have dropped out long before the halfway point. But Goggins kept going, because he had already reached the Expansion Level. He had accepted pain as part of the journey, not something to escape.

And in the end, he finished the race. This level is the ultimate separation point.

If you read this and felt that tug—that quiet “maybe I can”—then I want you to do one small thing right now.

Hit reply and type:

“One more.”