Training Over Trying: The Difference That Changed My Life

For years, I lived in the cycle of “trying.” I tried to eat better, tried to pray more consistently, tried to manage my emotions, and tried to stick to routines that would help me grow. I was trying to be healthy, whole, and spiritually aligned, but I was exhausted. No matter how hard I tried, I kept finding myself falling short. And when I missed a day, slipped into an old habit, or lost focus, I felt like I was failing, again. I equated trying with progress, but what I was really doing was surviving on willpower that kept running out.

Then one day, God dropped something in my spirit that shifted everything. I heard it so clearly:“Trying produces exhaustion. Training builds endurance.”

That simple truth cut straight through my frustration. I realized I had been treating my healing and growth like a short-term effort, rather than a lifelong discipline. I wasn’t building anything, I was just responding to whatever felt urgent. That’s when I made the shift from trying to training.

Trying is emotional. It’s built on bursts of energy, moments of motivation, and high hopes that we can do better. But when life hits, when stress rises, time disappears, or your body is tired, trying breaks down. You skip a devotion, fall off your meal plan, miss your journal time, and suddenly feel like you’ve ruined everything. That’s how trying works, it sets you up for guilt when you fail. But training? Training builds with intention. It’s not about what you feel; it’s about what you’ve built.

When I began to train my life, I found freedom. I created a schedule for prayer and kept that appointment with God the same way I’d keep a meeting with a client. I prepped meals that supported my health instead of reacting to cravings. I made journaling a non-negotiable, even if it was just five minutes a day. I began training myself to rest, literally planning my bedtime like a discipline. These small, consistent steps became my system. They became my training ground. And over time, training gave me what trying never could: consistency, clarity, and capacity.

There was a season of my life when everything felt like it was falling apart. My health was unstable, my mind was cluttered, and spiritually, I felt distant from God. I was still doing “the right things,” but something was missing. That’s when I realized I wasn’t lacking faith; I was lacking rhythm. I was trying to apply spiritual truths to a life without structure. So, I leaned into the tools God had already given me: my journal, my devotion time, my nutrition discipline, and the space to listen instead of constantly perform.

Through that process, I discovered something powerful: transformation doesn’t happen because you tried hard, it happens because you trained well. So many of us want change, but we’re treating it like a sprint when it’s really a marathon. We pray for breakthrough, but we don’t build the systems that hold the blessing once it arrives.

If you’re feeling stuck, exhausted, or discouraged, I want to encourage you, stop trying harder. Start training differently.

Start with one area. Don’t overwhelm yourself trying to fix everything at once. If it’s your spiritual life, commit to ten focused minutes with God each morning. If it’s your health, prepare your meals in advance so you’re not tempted to give in to convenience. If it’s your emotional world, begin journaling each day to release and realign. The goal isn’t perfection, it’s rhythm. Training invites grace into your process, while trying often leads to shame.

Make your training sacred. Treat your habits like spiritual appointments. Set up your environment to support you, have your journal on your nightstand, your Bible open to the passage you’re studying, your water bottle filled and ready. Let your daily actions reflect the future you’re building, not the struggle you’re trying to escape.

Most importantly, invite someone into your process. You don’t have to train alone. Whether it’s a friend, a coach, or a community, accountability is what turns habits into lifestyle. Even Jesus trained His disciples by walking with them, day by day, moment by moment.

The Zholistic Life I live and lead now isn’t about perfection. It’s about discipline, rhythm, and surrender. It’s the result of training, not trying. That’s what I offer through my coaching, my journal, and the entire Zholistic brand. A way to stop starting over and start building something that lasts.

So, I ask you: are you tired of trying? Maybe it’s time to train.

You’re not lazy. You’re not inconsistent. You’re not broken. You’re just untrained. And the good news is, training is a process you can begin today.

Choose training. Choose rhythm. Choose wholeness.

– Zho