When Trying Harder Isn’t Working

Can you relate?

You’ve got a goal you’ve chased for years—something you care deeply about—but no matter how much effort you put in, you always fall short. You start strong, full of motivation and good intentions, but can never close the gap between where you are and where you want to be.

I’ve lived that cycle more times than I’d like to admit.

But here was the most frustrating part: some goals came easily. The more concrete, “check-the-box” kinds—like earning my master’s degree or training for a marathon—I could follow through on without a problem. But in other areas? No matter how determined I was, I’d stall out.

It felt like one of those old 70s cartoons where the character’s legs are spinning in circles but they’re not actually going anywhere. I was confounded. I kept asking myself, “What in the world is my problem?”

And my default answer?

Try harder.

But here’s what I eventually discovered:

Trying harder is a recipe for exhaustion, not success.

If something isn’t working, you don’t double down—you change the strategy.

After all, as the saying goes: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

I’d likely still be stuck on that hamster wheel today—but everything shifted for me during a quiet writing session when I got an idea that I believe was God-inspired—an idea that changed everything:

The Low-Hanging Fruit Framework™

And as I implemented this framework, for the first time, I began closing the gap and actually making progress—in a steady, sustainable way. Things that once felt impossible or overwhelming started to work:

Peace with Food

Overcoming perfectionism

Learning to be present with family and friends by implementing boundaries with work and technology

Getting control over my mind and my words

Rest

I started applying it anywhere I wanted to see growth—and little by little, I began to see fruit.

That one simple framework changed how I approached everything. For the first time, I had a clear, systematic way to close the gap—and my actions finally started producing real results.

It became a turning point—things finally clicked.

(I’ll be sharing more about it in my next post.)

How about you?

Is there an area of your life where you’ve been trying the same thing over and over—yet the results never change? Maybe it’s time for a new strategy… or even a new framework.