Don't chase goals, build a way of life
Lachlan Wallace • September 27, 2025
Don't chase goals, build a way of life.
Don’t Chase Goals. Build a Way of Life.
Enjoy
LW
At Virtus, we often talk about goals. Lose weight. Get stronger. Build muscle. Run faster. Compete harder. These are all worthwhile, but Hunter S. Thompson once wrote something that cuts deeper: goals are only temporary markers. They change, they blur, they fade. What matters more is the way of life you choose to live.
In 1958, Thompson wrote a letter to a friend wrestling with life’s big question: What am I here for? His answer was not about outcomes or titles. It was about being yourself. Fully. Deliberately.
At Virtus, this is central to how we operate. We do not measure only by kilos lifted, kilometres run, or percentages improved. We measure by the life we are building. Training is a vessel, not the destination. Community reflects who we are, not a scoreboard. Education is a tool, not a certificate.
To choose a way of life is to step into something bigger than goals. It is to ask:
• What kind of person do I want to be?
• What kind of environment do I want to exist in?
• What kind of example do I want to set for my kids, my teammates, my community?
From that foundation, performance takes care of itself. When you train to embody strength, resilience and vitality, you create a way of life that sustains you through setbacks and seasons.
First, Choose Who You Want to Be
Epictetus said:
“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”
This is the essence of Thompson’s letter, and it is the essence of what we do at Virtus. Decide on your way of life, then align your training, habits and environment to make it real.
Turning Philosophy into Practice
At Virtus, we give this philosophy structure through our Goal Review Framework. Every member sits down with a coach to create clarity, direction and action. It is about aligning training and lifestyle with the life you want to live.
Here is the framework we use:
1. What are the 2–3 things you want to leave this session with?
2. What does winning look like?
3. What do we need to be good or better at?
4. What do we need to do?
5. How will we know?
The aim is simple: you leave with clarity and practical steps that move the needle in training and in life.
The Virtus Reflection Guide
After reading Thompson’s words, ask yourself:
1. What do I want my way of life to look like?
2. What abilities and desires can I lean into?
3. What small step can I take today to bring my training and choices closer to that life?
Your Next Step
If you are ready to go deeper, talk to one of our coaches. We will take this philosophy, apply our framework and give you clarity and action to build a life worth living.
Enjoy
LW
The Letter – Hunter S. Thompson to Hume Logan (1958)
“Every person is the sum total of their reactions to experience. As your experiences differ and multiply, you become a different person, and hence your perspective changes. This goes on and on. Every reaction is a learning process; every significant experience alters your perspective.
So it would seem foolish, would it not, to adjust our lives to the demands of a goal we see from a different angle every day? How could we ever hope to accomplish anything other than galloping neurosis?
The answer, then, must not deal with goals at all, or not with tangible goals, anyway. To put our faith in tangible goals would seem to be, at best, unwise. We do not strive to be firemen, we do not strive to be bankers, nor policemen, nor doctors. We strive to be ourselves.
But do not misunderstand me. I do not mean that we cannot be firemen, bankers, or doctors, but that we must make the goal conform to the individual rather than make the individual conform to the goal. In every person, heredity and environment have combined to produce a creature of certain abilities and desires, including a deeply ingrained need to function in such a way that their life will be meaningful. A person has to be something; they have to matter.
As I see it then, the formula runs like this: a man must choose a path which will let his abilities function at maximum efficiency toward the gratification of his desires.
In doing this, he is fulfilling a need (giving himself identity), he avoids frustrating his potential (choosing a path which puts no limit on his self-development), and he avoids the terror of seeing his goal wilt or lose its charm as he draws closer to it (rather than bending himself to meet the demands of that which he seeks, he has bent his goal to conform to his own abilities and desires).
In short, he has not dedicated his life to reaching a pre-defined goal, but he has rather chosen a way of life he knows he will enjoy. The goal is absolutely secondary: it is the functioning toward the goal which is important. And it seems almost ridiculous to say that a man must function in a pattern of his own choosing, for to let another man define your own goals is to give up one of the most meaningful aspects of life, the definitive act of will which makes a man an individual.
A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance. So if you now number yourself among the disenchanted, then you have no choice but to accept things as they are, or to seriously seek something else. But beware of looking for goals: look for a way of life. Decide how you want to live and then see what you can do to make a living within that way of life. But you say, ‘I do not know where to look; I do not know what to look for.’
And there is the crux. Is it worth giving up what I have to look for something better? I do not know. Who can make that decision but you? But even by deciding to look, you go a long way toward making the choice.
I am not trying to send you out ‘on the road’ in search of Valhalla, but merely pointing out that it is not necessary to accept the choices handed down to you by life as you know it. There is more to it than that. No one has to do something they do not want to do for the rest of their lives.”
Recent Blog Posts
Hi, I’m Maddy 👋 On October 6th, I’ll be kicking off our Women’s Strength Program at Virtus, and I wanted to share with you why this matters so much, not just to me as a coach, but to you as women who deserve to feel strong, capable, and confident at every stage of life. Why Strength Training Matters in Menopause Menopause can be tough. Hot flushes, sleep disruptions, bone loss, mood swings, changes in energy and body composition can feel overwhelming. But here’s the exciting part. A recent systematic review of 12 clinical trials, involving over 800 women, found that strength training can significantly reduce many of these symptoms It’s not a quick fix, but it’s one of the most powerful, natural ways to support your body through this chapter. What the Research Tells Us Strength training has been shown to: ✅ Improve muscle strength and function so you feel more capable in daily life ✅ Protect your bones and reduce the risk of osteoporosis ✅ Balance hormones and metabolism, lowering blood pressure, cholesterol, and body fat ✅ Reduce hot flushes and support cardiovascular health ✅ Boost energy and confidence so you feel more like yourself again The bottom line? Strong women thrive through menopause. What Works Best From the studies, the sweet spot looks like this: 📅 2–3 sessions per week 🏋️ Moderate to heavy weights, progressed over time 💪 Big compound movements (squats, deadlifts, presses, pulls) 🕒 Consistency over months, not just weeks And it doesn’t matter if you’re brand new or experienced. The benefits come from starting where you are and sticking with it. Why I’m Running This Program I’ve spoken with so many women who want to train but feel unsure about where to start, worried about injury, or intimidated by gym culture. That’s why I created the Women’s Strength Program at Virtus. It’s not just about sets and reps. It’s about creating a safe, supportive, and empowering space for you to: ✨ Learn the fundamentals of strength training with expert guidance ✨ Train alongside other women who get it ✨ Build confidence that carries into every part of your life We kick off October 6th with an 8-week program designed to help you get stronger, support your health, and thrive through menopause and beyond. If you’ve been waiting for a sign, this is it. Come train with us. Let’s get strong together. Spots are limited, so lock yours in today.
I love a good paradox. There’s something playful and mind-bending about holding two seemingly opposite truths in your head at once and realising… both are right. A paradox isn’t a problem to be solved, it’s a perspective to sit with. It asks you to zoom out, tilt your head, and see that the world is rarely neat, rarely simple, it ain't black and white (unless you're a pies supporter). And that’s what makes it fun. One of my favourites? Adaptation is task-specific. AND adaptation is transferable. Specificity rules In training, your body adapts precisely to the demands you place upon it. Sprint to get faster at sprinting. Squat heavy to get stronger at squatting. Swim to improve swimming. The central nervous system, muscles, tendons, even your psychology, all of it sharpens for the task at hand. This is why athletes rehearse their sport again and again. If you want to be good at X, you must train X. Repetition, repetition, repetition. But transfer is real Here’s the kicker: those same adaptations don’t stay locked in their box. They spill over. Build leg strength in the gym and suddenly you’re jumping higher on the court. Ride the bike for endurance and you find yourself running further without gassing out. Learn discipline with your training and it shows up in your work, your parenting, your relationships. The body (and mind) are marvellous contraptions. General qualities: strength, endurance, resilience, don’t just stick to one lane. They travel. Micro and macro So which is it specific or transferable? The answer is both, just at different levels. Micro level: ruthlessly specific. The exact pattern, speed, angle, movement or skill you train is the one you get better at. Macro level: beautifully transferable. The qualities you build: capacity, grit, adaptability, spread across sports, careers, and life. Building your capacities is for me, what life is all about. More than training Zoom out again, and it’s not just about sets and reps. It’s life itself. Patience learned rehabbing an injury makes you a calmer parent. Courage built in a hard conversation makes you braver under pressure. Philosophy or maths sharpen your ability to think clearly in… pretty much everything. The Stoics had this figured out: practice in one area to grow in all areas. Shoutout to my boy Marcus Aurelius and his book of meditations. The art of holding both Ignore specificity, and you drift without progress. Ignore transfer, and you become narrow and brittle. The art is holding both truths: training for the task in front of you while recognising that every rep, every challenge, every small win is shaping you far beyond the gym. Adaptation is task-specific. Adaptation is transferable. That’s the paradox. That’s the point. Get your head around the duality of our existence, this is the good stuff, this is where growth happens. The Virtus lens This is why we train the way we do at Virtus. Our programs are built to give you the specific stimulus you need for your goals, while also building the broad physical and mental qualities that make you better at life. Stronger in the gym. More capable on the field. More resilient at work. More present at home. More capable of (insert any worthy pursuit here) We don’t just want you to win at one thing. We want you to become the kind of person who carries those wins into everything. Every rep is shaping more than your body. It’s shaping your life. Let’s get started . Onwards. Lachie
At Virtus, we know the hardest part of training isn’t the session itself, it’s showing up consistently. We all say it at some point: “I don’t have time. Now isn’t a good time. Life feels too full.” And that’s real. Life is busy. But here’s the truth: the problem isn’t time or location. It’s how we think about consistency. Waiting for the perfect 60 minute slot in the gym is the fastest way to keep missing sessions. Most people fall into the trap of believing training has to look a certain way: one full hour in the gym, no interruptions, perfect energy levels. The reality is life rarely lines up like that. Instead of missing workouts altogether, we flip the script at Virtus. Consistency is built on adaptability, not perfection, and that’s where the Tiers of Opportunity come in. Think of it like this: your best case scenario might be a full Virtus session at 6am. That’s the gold standard. But what if life gets in the way? You still have other options. Maybe it’s a half session later in the morning. Maybe it’s a run or walk in the afternoon. Maybe it’s 15 minutes of home mobility at night. Every option still moves the needle forward. The only truly bad option is doing nothing at all. We’ve seen it work countless times in our community. A parent squeezes in a 30-minute home workout between school drop-off and work. One of our footy boys hits a quick 15-minute speed block before training. Another member fits in push-ups, squats, and a jog before dinner. These aren’t perfect sessions, but they’re powerful because they keep the chain unbroken & move the needle towards the person they want to become. This system works because it stops the cycle of starting and stopping. No more feeling like you’re back at square one. Adaptability is what keeps you consistent, and that’s how training habits stick, even during the busiest seasons of life. Consistency doesn’t come from perfect routines, it comes from using the time you do have and leaning on the Virtus community and coaching team to back you up along the way. Training with us means you’re never doing this alone. We’ll help you find your Plan A and build your week around it. We’ll make sure you’ve got Plans B, C, and D ready so you don’t fall off track. And we’ll keep you accountable through coaching, check-ins, and the community around you. At Virtus, consistency is built into the system. So here’s the takeaway: it’s not about being perfect, it’s about finding ways to move the needle, even slightly, every day. Fifteen minutes beats zero. Imperfect sessions compound into powerful results. Adaptability keeps you consistent. Consistency gets you stronger, leaner, and more capable. And consistency, over time, is what makes the difference between wishing for progress and living it. At Virtus, we’ll help you build the systems that keep you training no matter how busy life gets. Want to learn more ? Book a Free Intro. Be amazing. Lachie
At Virtus Performance, everything we do, from our coaching to our programming, is built on three key foundations: Enjoyment, Consistency, and Progress. Combined with built-in feedback loops, these principles ensure constant evolution, athlete buy-in, and results that last. Humans are complex, adaptive systems, always changing and responding to our environment. At the same time, we are also simple beings. We repeat the things we enjoy and the things that help us improve. That is why these three factors sit at the heart of Virtus coaching. 1. Enjoyment: Training You Actually Want to Do If training feels like punishment, you will eventually stop. Willpower can only carry you so far. That is why at Virtus, we design world-class strength and conditioning programs that are challenging, but also fun, rewarding, and engaging. Enjoyment is fuelled by our community. You will connect with others, laugh, and celebrate wins along the way. Training becomes more than just another task. It becomes one of the best parts of your week. 2. Consistency: The Secret to Real Change The people who achieve their goals are not always the most talented. They are the ones who keep showing up. Consistency is the real secret sauce in strength and conditioning. At Virtus, we do not just coach. We educate. You will learn why the work matters, how to fit training into a busy life, and how to build habits that stick. Through accountability and support, we help you keep turning up week after week, so results compound over time. 3. Progress: Becoming More Capable Progress fuels motivation. When you can see and feel change, you want to keep going. Whether it is lifting heavier, moving better, running faster, or simply feeling stronger and more capable in your own skin, progress is what drives long-term commitment. That is why our coaching emphasises performance. With structured programs, regular testing weeks, and goal reviews, we ensure you are not just training. You are evolving. At Virtus, we believe in continual improvement. Every program includes feedback loops: testing, reflection, and goal setting that ensure your training adapts as you do. This process creates genuine athlete buy-in because you see and feel the results of your work. Our philosophy is simple. Training should help you do more of the things you love, in a stronger and more capable way. By combining Enjoyment, Consistency, and Progress with our pillars of Community, Education, and Performance, Virtus coaching sets the foundation for long-term success. That is Virtus. That is Better Every Day. Ready to dive in and experience Virtus? If you are ready to enjoy your training, build consistency, and make real progress, come and see what Virtus Performance can do for you. Book a free intro session!
Choosing the right gym isn?t just about picking the one closest to home or the cheapest membership.
At Virtus Performance , we?re not just another gym in Mornington . We?re a community-driven training space designed to be your third home . A place beyond home and work where you can train, connect, and grow , both physically and mentally.
