The power of community
And the impact it had on my life.
I used to struggle to stay consistent with exercise. Some days I felt motivated, other days… not so much. Even now when I go to classes in the morning, the getting there is the hardest part and makes me regret every decision I’ve ever made. But once I’m there, and specially once it’s done, I feel great and it becomes worth it.
Everything changed when I found the value of being part of a community.
Accountability
Knowing that I had people waiting for me at class gave me a sense of accountability that no playlist or motivational quote could ever give me.
In a community context, accountability is reciprocal — you show up for yourself, but also for the people around you. You get to motivate your friends, and see them become their best selfs. Being accountable doesn’t mean relying on others to push you, but to celebrate eachothers milestones together.
Competitiveness
It also sparks a healthy sense of competitiveness.
Seeing others show up and push themselves inspired me to do the same — not to “beat” anyone, but to challenge myself to grow.
When you go to a yoga class, they usually tell you not to compare yourself with others, cause we are all at different levels. But I personally love it. As bad as it sounds, I love not being “the worst one”, I’m also not the best one by far. But when I look to see how everyone else is doing, I get to see my improvement and also push myself into doing more and challenging my own limits, while celebrating the progress of others at the same time.
When you’re surrounded by people who are disciplined and committed, it’s hard not to rise to that same level. Their consistency becomes contagious, and you start to realize that progress is not a solo journey, it’s something we build together.
For most of my life I thought of competitiveness as something negative. But now I believe in the mindset of wanting to win, but being good at loosing. You need to know how to loose, but want to win.
Motivation is overrated
Over time, I realized something important: motivation is overrated. It’s nice when it’s there, but it’s not what keeps you showing up day after day.
Discipline is what matters — and being around disciplined people makes it easier to stay committed yourself.
In Spanish, there’s a saying: “Dime con quién te juntas y te diré quién eres,” which means, “Tell me who you spend time with, and I’ll tell you who you are.”
Whether it’s in fitness, work, or life, surrounding yourself with the right people changes everything.