This was something that Dave Momper gave me in regards to the facebook post about new stuff for the blog, I dig it and wanted to share it with all of you! If you haven’t met Dave yet, he’s a solid dude, say hi the next time you see him.
Consciously Pushing the Envelope and Building Mental Fortitude:
The appeal I have in Crossfit as a platform for improvement is largely the potential physical gains expressed in the 10 fitness skills. I’ve seen huge improvements in the physique and fitness of several friends and in random people across the Internet. It’s damn impressive. Physical improvements are the most obvious, because they are visible for us to observe in others and ourselves. But perhaps the bigger allure in Crossfit for me is the way I expect to be challenged mentally, and how critical and advantageous this can be for me in all the other areas of my life. Crossfit is equally about about building our mental stamina, as it is building physical stamina.
At times, in the midst of physical turmoil and exhaustion I often feel like I want things to end, sometimes I even want to give up completely, and in that moment I feel like I’m going through hell! I imagine you have these moments, too. In these moments we can tell ourselves all sorts of stories that can hold us back from being our greatest, or from simply getting one tiny ounce better, stronger, or more capable. It takes some serious mental fortitude and awareness to push, push, push, and at times I can’t dig as deep as I want to. It’s a work in progress. Like the physical realm, I’m in the process of developing that mental muscle further and further.
When I look back on a workout and realize I got through it, I often recognize I probably could have endured even more if I really had to. And I have to wonder, what could I accomplish (in this life!) if I always came to the “show” and NEVER left anything on the table? Recognizing this can be frustrating, but it can also be empowering! Let’s all remind ourselves of this. Awareness, if deployed during that trying workout and moment, can allow someone to not only get through some tough situations, but can allow us to truly grow and evolve BECAUSE we never say die, we don’t ease up, we don’t quit. And sure, there’s a balance between pacing yourself so you can complete a workout strong, and consciously pushing yourself in every damn moment.
The brilliance with Crossfit is that during each workout we have the chance to bring along that awareness and mental fortitude to push ourselves just a bit further or a bit longer or a bit harder than we thought was possible, regardless of our physical capabilities. There is no ideal end-goal per se; the ideal is simply striving for constant progress.
So let’s all ask ourselves, “What if we leverage the awareness and insights that we have post-workout, and bring them along with us to be deployed during those wicked hard moments in our future workouts? What could be possible?” Consciously constantly brushing up against and pushing our individual envelopes of potential affords the chance at the impossible.
We’ll can all have our bad days where feel defeated, or just off. The trick is consciously building that mental fortitude. The trick is to be aware that your limits are just a perception and that in any given moment (assuming you are being safe with respect to weight and form), you can always push your own envelope. And when you do so, you raise your own bar of potential and you get to redefine your reality; inch by inch, pound by pound, second by second. And then that shit adds up and one day you don’t recognize yourself, for the better. And that’s a story worth telling.
DM
Read More...