Enjoy the process
As we enter a new year full of new years resolutions and new goals I wanted to take a step back. Let’s think about the journey to attaining those goals. I am someone who always enjoyed working with goals although we have became obsessed or pressured to live in a goal orientated lifestyle through work, school, sport and even family goals. Goals are great as they keep us moving forward. They give us fuel and focus to keep moving in the direction we want. Goals are totally necessary to achieve anything in life, well they were for me as nothing was ever handed to me I had to earn it. From a young age they can give us the values of hard work and dedication. BUT the goal cannot be all end all, I believe the journey to achieving them is more important.
It takes time
Once we achieve a goal it may last a day but the process can take weeks, months or even years therefore your valuable time should be enjoyed. The journey to achieving a goal will include a lot of smaller achievements and also disappointments. So how we handle these determines how much we will enjoy the process.
How does this carry over to training?? Well the small things you achieve are not small. They are huge! Enjoy them, geniet er van!!! These get surpassed when we only focus on the main end result. What about the disappointments that you will experience and believe me you will. No one ever got where they wanted to without facing disappointment. What I always tell myself is “the disappointments are only a bump on the road to where I need to be”. Also sometimes where we want to be or what we want to achieve does not happen and WHY? Because life happens. Sometimes things happen that are out of our control and changes that we did not chose to make. Therefore sometimes your journey will lead you to a different place that what you had planned for.
Steps to make
How can I apply this to my training/CrossFit? (which turn can also help me in life)
Every training I tell myself and also my athlete to make the following steps
- What went good in your training today? You are NOT allowed any negative words or comments in this sentence and definitely no buts. This is just taking away from what good you have just done today.
- What can you do better next time? Only one comment allowed.
When you constantly practice this you will gradually change your training into a positive experience and also make a productive set-up for the next one. This is a working process and eventually will make you mentally stronger which you can apply to others areas in your life.
In saying that, we have all had that training that everything went wrong and felt not good. These days do not need fairy dust sprinkled on them , we all have had them. Accept it put it in a box and move on.
We also however have had that FANTASIC training, trainings were you set a new PR or did a skill you have working on for a long time or just did a movements or lifted a weight you never imagined you could. Give yourself a big high 5, enjoy it to the max and walk around all day with a smile on your face. Life is good.
To summarize what I feel about CrossFit trainings. Enjoy the process, the people you train with, new people you meet and the friendships you build. Enjoy the laughs, accept the tears of frustration and disappointment we are all human.
Have FUN!