The other day, I was supposed to work up to a one-rep max deadlift after completing a six-week strength cycle. When I tested six weeks ago, I hit 430. When I retested, I stopped at 410 because that’s what my body could handle technique-wise.

So, did I get weaker over the last six weeks? No way.

Our training works. I’ve deadlifted more in the last six weeks than I did in the six weeks prior.

We focused on tempo at progressively heavier loads and deloaded before testing, but today, everything just felt heavy.

I had hit our conditioning workouts pretty hard in the 10–12 days prior, and my body was feeling it. I was also training in the morning (which I seldom do), in a sub-40-degree garage, by myself, drinking coffee, and somehow listening to a bunch of new pop female artists on my Pandora shuffle? These aren’t excuses, but they are factors. (Maybe not the last one, but I’m sticking it in there anyway.)

I say all of this because I think too often we get upset with ourselves when we don’t hit the result we want—or worse, we assume that because we didn’t hit it, we’ve actually gotten worse.

I’m here to tell you that’s just not the case. Regardless of the result, the growth is in the process. Sometimes things don’t go exactly according to plan because, to be honest, there is no perfect plan. But you’re not worse for following it.

I know I’m stronger than I was six weeks ago, even if the bar didn’t show it that day. In moments like these, it’s important to find your wins in the process—not just in the result.

For example, here are my process-oriented wins for the day:

• I hit every deadlift session prescribed in the cycle.
• I’m still lifting above my “over 400 pounds for as long as possible” goal.
• I’m pulling heavy deadlifts without a belt at almost 40—something I never did in my 20s.

Separately, not hitting a PR deadlift that day had no effect on the rest of my day. I wasn’t a better or worse father or husband because of it. People didn’t join or leave my gym because of it. It didn’t change my ability to lift a car off someone if the opportunity had presented itself.

It was just a workout.

A workout I got to do as part of my process to be the healthiest version of myself.

So, instead of getting down on yourself the next time your workout doesn’t go exactly as expected, give yourself credit for the process that got you here. You showed up and did the work when most people would have stayed in bed. You choose to work hard each day to stay healthy for the people you love. And tomorrow, you’ll come back and do it again.

That’s a personal record in itself.