On goals and numbers

No one is born loving a long, hard breath hold. That’s learned. The question is why you’re learning it.

Most freedivers set goals backwards. They want 5 minutes static. They want 100 meters dynamic. They want specific numbers by specific dates. Then they spend months anxious about whether they’ll hit them.

That’s not what goals are for.

Goals are perspective, not achievement

Trevor Moawad worked with elite athletes on neutral thinking - the idea that focusing on process beats obsessing over outcomes. His approach reveals something most people miss: goals aren’t really about the destination. They’re about the direction.

A goal gives you a point of view. It filters what opportunities you pursue and what you ignore. It expands your perspective by forcing you to solve problems you wouldn’t encounter otherwise. The massive goal you set isn’t there to be achieved in a practical sense - it’s there to provide vision and direction.

You set a big freediving goal to understand why you’re doing this.

Then you start training.

Be skeptical of time promises

Anyone promising to add 1:00 or 2:00 to your breath hold in X weeks is selling outcomes. That’s not why you’re here.

You’re not here to chase stopwatch numbers. You’re here to change your life. To be on a learning journey. To enjoy the process of getting better at something hard.

The real transformation isn’t hitting 5 minutes. It’s becoming someone who shows up consistently, trains intelligently, and finds satisfaction in the work itself.

Outcome thinking kills the process

When your goal is “I need to hit 5 minutes static by March,” every session becomes a test. Did I get closer? Am I on track? What if I plateau?

That pressure wrecks your relationship with training. Numbers turn into pass/fail judgments. You stop enjoying breath holds because they’re just measurements of your worth.

Here’s the thing: you can’t appreciate the journey without first understanding the destination. But once you see where you’re going, the journey becomes the point. The perspective shift is the goal. The process is where you actually live.

Process thinking builds capacity

Moawad’s neutral thinking emphasizes controlling what you can control - your preparation, your effort, your response. Not the outcome.

For freedivers, that means focusing on making training desirable. Not the result, the practice itself. Show up. Do the work. Be present with the discomfort. That’s the authentic human experience - doing your best with what’s in front of you.

The capacity you build comes from the process.

• The sessions where you felt terrible but trained anyway.
• The tables you completed even though your times were average.
• The pool days where you worked on technique instead of chasing PBs.

That’s where growth happens. Not in the outcome.

Set direction, not deadlines

Your goal should be massive and inspiring. Something that gives you vision. Let it filter your training decisions - what to work on, what to skip, how to spend your pool time.

But measure the process, not just the outcome.

Track consistency. Did you show up? Did you complete the session? Did you focus on technique? Did you keep training even when you didn’t feel like it?

The numbers will come. They’re a byproduct of systematic, progressive training. But if you make them the goal, you’ll either burn out chasing them or hit them and wonder why it doesn’t feel like you thought it would.

The journey is the transformation

Appneist isn’t built to promise you’ll add 2 minutes to your static. It’s built for the journey.

Track your sessions. Build consistency. Follow structured programs. Enjoy the process of training intelligently. The transformation isn’t a stopwatch reading - it’s becoming someone who trains like this.

The journey is where you actually live.