As we approach the 2016 CrossFit Open, let’s take a moment to address failure. Yeah, I know. Nobody like to think about failure.
I have been writing about CrossFit, Barbells, Kettlebells, Food and Fitness for about four years.
Much of what I write is rooted directly by my present experiences, usually frustration, but occasionally by a small personal victory.
My friends, particularly the ones who have observed my growth and progress during these years, often get upset with me. They accuse me of self-sabotaging when I criticize my performance or abilities.
If I express my apprehension about a WOD or an upcoming Comp, I get chastised for “negative self-talk”.
Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
I get it. I understand their concerns. But I find myself in a peculiar place. My expertise is not as a seasoned athlete. It is not as a strongman, as an endurance athlete, or as a coach or some other expert with credentials.
No, my expertise is this. I am a novice Master. I struggle with playing a young person’s game, in an old man’s body. That’s it! Some days I can, some days I can’t.
I am at a point in my life, where my greatest strength is not related to muscle, but to wisdom. My goal is not to be the strongest or fastest guy in the Box. My goal is to sustain this aging carcass so I am the last man standing.
The above quote illustrates the danger of dwelling too much on thoughts. Negative thoughts can influence the course of one’s future, as can positive ones. My challenge is to observe my failures, in search of correction, not to dwell upon them.
With that said, when I do write about my struggles, or my failures, I remain optimistic that by studying my failures, success will reveal itself to me, in due time. If not, there is no reason to return here tomorrow.
Tell me, how do you minimize the effects of negativity in your performance?
Chuck,
I’m with you. I try not to look on them as failures, but as lessons learned. As a Physical Therapist I realize that as an “almost Master” there are things that I might never be able to do and the things I am able to do take a lot of mobilizing and maintenance to continue doing! However, if I take myself out of the CrossFit Box and into the general population of my middle aged friends, I look and perform pretty well in comparison. I just came off a week of skiing out in Utah and was way ahead of the other adults, albeit quite a bit behind the teenagers!
Work hard and try to enjoy the Open.
Karen Anderson
Ummmm, eat a pizza!