You start the new diet. The new workout plan. The new job. Maybe it’s a new relationship… a bigger house… a nicer car. For a little while, it feels like this is it. Like this will finally make you feel how you’ve always wanted to feel.

But then progress slows. Doubt creeps in. And you start wondering if maybe you just picked the wrong thing. So you jump to the next thing. And the next. And the next.

Here’s the part most people miss: Each time you do that, you’re not just switching strategies— you’re training your nervous system to expect doubt, not follow-through.

The real question isn’t: “Will this work for me?” It’s: “Is this path training the person I actually want to become— or just reinforcing the belief that nothing will work?”

I want to name something that quietly keeps people stuck… even people who are driven, capable, and hardworking. It’s this loop of chasing… getting excited… doubting… quitting… and starting over again. They think they’re just trying new strategies. But what they’re actually doing is training self-doubt until it becomes their baseline. And that can change.

The Loop That Trains Doubt

Let’s map it clearly: Chasing — jumping into the next new thing with a surge of motivation. Initial Excitement — the emotional high of novelty. Dip — results slow down, progress feels invisible. Doubt — thoughts like “Maybe this won’t work… maybe I can’t do this.” Abandoning — stopping before real results arrive. Restarting — finding another shiny thing and starting the cycle again.

Every time this loop runs, it leaves an emotional imprint on your nervous system: “I don’t follow through. It won’t work for me.” Not consciously. But emotionally. And because emotion drives thought and thought drives action, this becomes the default pattern you act from.

Why This Isn’t About Strategy

Here’s the tricky part: Most people assume their issue is picking the wrong method. Wrong diet. Wrong workout. Wrong job. Wrong partner. But if you look closer, the common denominator isn’t the method. It’s the emotional state being trained.

They’ve practiced excitement followed by doubt so many times that their nervous system expects that outcome. So they sabotage the plan before they even give it enough reps to work. It’s not a discipline problem. It’s a state training problem.

Stop Running Long Enough to Actually Train Something

Maybe this will sound familiar. Some people seem like they’re always creating. Always moving. A new practice. A new technique. A new place to live. A new car. A new relationship. From the outside, it looks exciting— like they’re building this big, intentional life.

But often… all that movement is really just another way of running. Because if you sit still long enough, you start to see what’s actually been driving you. And for most people, that’s uncomfortable.

So instead of staying with one thing, they chase. They start something, get that burst of excitement… then when the excitement fades, they move on. And what they don’t realize is they’re not consciously creating— they’re just reinforcing the emotional pattern of running.

The vehicle itself doesn’t matter that much. Qigong. Journaling. Lifting weights. Building a business. What matters is choosing one thing and staying with it long enough to actually see yourself inside it. Because only when you stop running can you start training who you want to become.

It’s Okay to Want Money, Cars, or Houses

Let’s clear this up. Wanting money isn’t the problem. Wanting a beautiful home, a car you love, a great job— none of that makes you shallow. The real question is: Are you chasing these things to escape how you feel now… or as an expression of who you’re becoming?

If you chase from scarcity, you reinforce scarcity. If you pursue from grounded certainty, money, houses, and success become natural byproducts of that state. It’s not about the thing. It’s about the state you’re training while you go after it.

The Real Issue: Trained Belief

Here’s the heart of this. Most people think they struggle with commitment. But they actually struggle with belief. They don’t trust themselves to follow through. Or they don’t trust they’ll get the same results others got. So they give up before they find out.

And because belief is emotional, not logical— you can’t think your way into it. You have to train it. Every time you keep a promise to yourself— especially when it’s uncomfortable— you’re teaching your nervous system: “I can count on me.” Do that often enough… and belief stops being a hope. It becomes who you are.

What Training Belief Actually Looks Like

Let’s make this real. Say you commit to a 12-week strength plan. By week three, motivation drops. Doubt whispers: “This isn’t working. Try something else.” Most people quit right there. But if you’ve chosen to train belief, you treat that exact moment as the rep.

You notice the doubt— and move anyway. You choose the state you want to reinforce— maybe calm determination or certainty— and you act from it. Even if it’s sloppy. Even if it’s small. Because what you’re training isn’t the perfect workout. It’s the emotional pattern of follow-through. That’s what rewires everything.

Self-Trust Comes After the Reps

A lot of people wait to “feel confident” first. But self-trust doesn’t show up at the beginning. It shows up after the reps.

Think about riding a bike. You didn’t trust you could do it at first. You just trusted the process enough to wobble, fall, get back on. Then one day… it clicked. That’s how emotional training works too. You practice until your nervous system expects you to follow through. And self-trust becomes your baseline.

Choosing What’s Actually Aligned

So how do you know if something is aligned or just another shiny object? Ask this: “What emotional state will this train if I do it consistently for the next 12 months?” Not—“Will this get fast results.” Not—“Is this what successful people are doing.”

Ask: “Does this train the person I’m committed to becoming?” If yes… commit. If no… don’t spend a year training a nervous system you don’t want to live inside of.

Stability Beats Shiny Every Time

Shiny objects give quick emotional highs. Alignment gives stability. Quick highs fade. Stability compounds. The people who build extraordinary lives aren’t chasing new hacks. They pick aligned paths and train steady emotional states until they become automatic.

They stop asking “Is this working yet?” and start asking “Who am I training myself to be right now?” That shift changes everything.

An Invitation

If you’re ready to stop managing symptoms and start training a steady, resilient inner state, I’ve built a system for that. It integrates perception, emotion, and nervous system— so you don’t just understand your patterns… you actually shift them.

I also share practices weekly on Instagram— @mikewangcoaching. And if you want more depth, you can join the newsletter here.