Ends vs. Means

By Pastor Jason Sharp

You’ve probably heard the phrase before, “The ends justified the means.” It is talking about how no matter how bad the actions (means) the goal (ends) made them worth it. Often it is said by an anti-hero—one of the good guys turned bad. However, ends and means can mean the difference between sticking with a workout routine and leaving it behind. Here is the formula to understand the relationship:

Means                                     “So That”                               End
(what I am going to do)                                                       (goal to achieve)

When Your End is Chasing an Elusive Result

   “I am going to workout so that I can lose weight.” Do you recognize the means and the end? There is absolutely nothing wrong with this: 1) working out is good and 2) losing weight can be the result of working out. If you were to say “I am going to stop breathing so that I can lose weight” we would question your sanity. However,  working out does not guarantee weight loss. There are so many factors to weight loss like caloric intake, water loss during exercise, muscle build-up versus fat loss, and so on. Believe it or not, some people actually want to gain weight when they workout because that means they are gaining muscle mass.

    Because weight loss in and of itself is an elusive result it is very difficult to maintain motivation to continue in your means (working out) when you are not achieving your end (losing weight) or achieving your end within a defined timeframe (NOW! Or at least after each session). If you’ve begun a workout routine you may find that your weight fluctuates still, though the trend might be headed in the right direction. It may not be fast enough or dramatic enough to satisfy your desire to achieve the goal of weight loss. If all you are tracking is your weight, heaven forbid you gain weight when following a workout routine. Muscle weighs more than fat, and you could find the scales to be disappointing despite the good news going on internally. More muscle means you burn more calories, which will help you in the long run—but that number on the scale can really take the wind out of your sails.

When Your Means is the End

     “I am going to workout so that I can be more active.” Hopefully, you recognize the two parts here. There are many ways to achieve the goal of being more active, yet in this specific instance every time you workout, you have achieved your goal to be more active. You get a gold-star, “’at a boy,” with every session there is a sense of achievement. This will be motivating to continue working out because you are doing what you set out to do.

     “I am going to workout so that I can spend 90 minutes to myself each week.” Maybe you have young children and finding childcare is difficult. Maybe you want to do something just for you.  Every time you workout the goal is achieved and you are motivated to do it again. The point is to find something that makes your workout the end, not a means. Yes, if you are ultimately after weight loss, you can get there. However, weight loss is about consistent and sustained activity along with other lifestyle changes. You can achieve weight loss by sticking to a workout routine, you can stick to a workout routine by motivating yourself each workout session with achieving a more direct goal: I am going to be more active, I am going to spend time on myself. Use this little trick of psychology on yourself, keep yourself motivated to workout, and your other goals will be come.