The Finish Line Is Just The First Door

What if the moment you finally reach your biggest goal feels more terrifying than triumphant? Jay pulls back the curtain on the uneasy truth about success: the closer he gets to three million steps and 65 pounds lost, the louder the questions become. Does motivation disappear at the finish line? Do old habits creep back when the applause fades? Instead of a victory lap, we explore the fear of finishing and the responsibility that comes with keeping what you’ve earned.

We unpack the mindset shift from motivation to discipline, and why habits—not hype—carry you across the line. Jay shares the uncomfortable pattern of self-sabotage that hides behind pride, how “look at me” moments invite backslide, and the exact shift he’s making to rewrite the story. You’ll hear a practical framework for life after a big goal: document what works so it becomes your roadmap, celebrate without stopping, treat fear as proof of growth, and prioritize persistence over perfection. The result is a clear plan to protect progress when the world stops watching.

If you’re close to your goal, or too scared to set one, this conversation will help you build a durable identity that outlasts any milestone. You’ll leave with four simple rules to maintain momentum, a new way to see fear, and a challenge to take one brave step—today. Subscribe for more grounded strategies on health, habits, and resilience, and share this episode with someone who needs a nudge across their next finish line.

Chapters

• 0:05 Planting A Scary Goal
• 1:01 Nearing Three Million Steps
• 2:29 Habits Over Hype
• 3:52 The Fear Of Finishing
• 6:31 Lessons For Life After Goals
• 9:50 A Challenge To Keep Becoming

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:05

Have you ever created a goal that was just so big and so impossible? That you just created it because it made you feel good about what you wanted in the future. You never really thought you were going to achieve it, but you created it just to give you some hope and some happiness in your life. And I think at the beginning of this year, that's where I was in life. I needed something to get me excited about my future. And I looked at my health, and that's when I created one of the biggest goals in my life. And I think this quote by Lao Zhu says it best. It was more like 300 miles. Welcome back, my friends, to the 3 Million Step Awakening Podcast. I'm your host, Jay Medina. On today's episode, it's kind of scary. I'm gonna share some scary stuff. I hope that you can relate to me because it's one of the biggest things that happens to your psyche when you're trying to accomplish a big goal that you may have set out to in the beginning, and all of a sudden you're all the way in it now and you're almost there. I'm about to reach my goal of walking three million steps in one year. Three million steps. And while that should feel like a moment of celebration, a victory dance, so to speak, if I'm being real with you, it's causing me more fear than excitement. Because I don't think I've ever accomplished a goal this big before. And the truth is, I don't really know what comes next. Something about reaching a goal when you first create it feels massive. You don't know if it's even possible. You don't know if you just set something so big, it's gonna scare you right back into doing nothing. When I started this, I didn't know how I was gonna get there. I just knew I needed something to chase. But here's the thing about chasing big goals: they change you, they transform you. You start as a person who doubts, who starts and stops, maybe, and little by little you become someone who trusts the process. And that transformation, that quiet shift, that's where the real magic happens. We don't rise to the level of our goals, we fall to the level of our habits. That's what James Clear says. And let me tell you, those habits are what got me here. But now, I'm in really unfamiliar territory. I've never been at this point, and that's sad because I've created many goals, and I'm starting to realize that maybe I just quit before all of them, before I got to everyone. And because I'm getting this close, so close that I can see the finish line, it's terrifying. Why? Because I don't know what happens after. Do I just stop? Do I just hit three million and call it a day? Does the motivation disappear once I get there? These are the questions that haunt me at night. And maybe you felt them too. The quiet fear that sneaks in when you're almost there. You start to wonder, what if this is as good as it gets? What if I can't maintain it? That is the fear I step on the scale every week with. That's where I am right now. Right between excitement and fear. Between the person I used to be and the one I'm becoming. This week, I shared my progress online. My 65-pound weight loss. And for a moment, I was proud showing off what I've accomplished, but then I felt uneasy because every time I've shown my success in the past, I've ended up going backwards. I'd gain the weight back. I'd stop walking. I'd start eating unhealthy. I'd lose all my focus. And it hit me. Was I really proud? Or was I subconsciously setting myself setting myself up to fail again? That's what self-sabotage looks like. It hides behind pride. Behind the look at me moments. The only thing standing between you and your goal is a story you keep telling yourself as to why you can't achieve it. Jordan Belfort said that. And this time, I'm rewriting that story. When you lose 65 pounds, it's not just the physical weight that comes off. It's the emotional weight too. But here's the catch. The responsibility gets heavier. Because now I have to keep it off. I have to stay consistent. I have to stay motivated. And let's be honest, living a motivated life isn't easy. It's not comfortable. It's definitely not glamorous, but it's necessary. Discipline is doing what needs to be done even when you don't feel like doing it. That's where real growth lives. Not in the motivation, but in the discipline. And maybe that's why so many people never finish. Because finishing comes with responsibility. And responsibility means the easy way is no longer an option. So I've been asking myself lately, what happens after three million steps? Because here's what I've learned it's not the goal that defines you, it's what you do after the goal that defines you. Anyone can celebrate a victory, anyone can get a few claps and likes on a post, but when the applause fades and no one's looking at you on social media, when the hype dies down, when the world stops watching, what then? That's when you find out who you really are. That's when you find out if you did it for the applause or for yourself and your future. So if you're listening right now and you're close to your goal, or maybe too scared to even set one, here's what I've learned from walking three million steps. One, make a list of what works. When you reach your goal, the list becomes your roadmap for maintaining it. Write everything down. Number two, celebrate, but don't stop. Celebrate the moment, the non-skill victories, the journey. But understand that the finish line is also your next starting point. Number three, embrace the fear. Fear isn't failure. It's proof you're entering new territory, that you're growing. And number four, the most important, important part of my journey. Stay consistent. Don't chase perfection. Perfection isn't the goal. Persistence is. As long as you keep doing what you're doing, you will succeed. No matter if it's positive or negative, you just got to stay consistent because the real win isn't just reaching your goal, it's staying in the fight after you reach it. Like Rocky said in his last movie, it's not about winning the fight, it's about seeing how many times you can get up after getting knocked down. That's when your true victory is. So yeah, I'm scared. Scared of what happens when I take that final step. Step number three million. But I'm also proud. Because fear means I'm doing something I've never done before. It means growing. Don't fear failure. Fear being in the exact same place next year as you are today. If you're listening and you're afraid of reaching your goal, afraid of what comes next, remember this, my friends. The fear you feel right now, that's proof you're still alive in your journey. It's proof you're still becoming. You don't have to have it all figured out. You just have to keep stepping. Because the real awakening isn't in the first step or the last step. It's in the courage to keep walking when no one's clapping anymore. So here's my challenge to you, my friends. This week, today, this month, do it as soon as possible. Take one step, literal or symbolic, towards something that scares you. Set a goal that makes your heart race and promise yourself that no matter what happens, you won't run from the finish line. Because when you face your fear of success, you discover the power that's been waiting inside you all along. This is your reminder. The goal doesn't end when you reach it. That's where the next beginning starts. Don't keep walking. Keep becoming the person you were meant to be. This has been the 3 Million Step Awakening podcast. Until next time, my friends, keep moving forward, one step at a time, and always.