Have you considered what you do with the other 23 hours of your day? I spend 1 hour in a CrossFit box most days of the week since the Spring of 2021.
CrossFit has become my sport. Recently, after we moved to another state, I decided to grow in the sport. How so? Instead of focusing on distance running, I was going to master the multiple skills I need to perform well in CrossFit.
My movement of choice was the strict pull-up. When I started, I asked every coach I had how I was going to be able to do this movement. They gave me great advice. I realized then that unless I practiced outside of class time, I would not be able to master the pull-up.
I learned about scaling this movement. Still, I really wanted to be able to do one. Why? Deep inside, I thought I could. For the first year, I tried and tried and I didn't have it.
I heard it takes years for some female athletes to master the pull-up. I chose to believe that was not going to be true for me.
When my family and I moved to Georgia, I decided to immediately find a box. When I did, I talked to a new set of coaches about my dream of mastering the pull-up. Like my previous coaches, they gave me all the information I needed.
What they couldn't do was to make me train outside of class time. I made that decision on my own.
I had a solid plan of what to do. I also decided to start during one of my latest 6-week challenges. I practiced outside of class twice a week.
It was inconvenient. I could be home doing other things. Yes, I had been at the gym already but there I was, back to do something I couldn't really do. Why? Because it was my goal last year. I had to accomplish it.
I bundled the fact that most of my immediate family works out in the evening with my need to workout at a second time during the day. This worked really well. So I persisted: week after week.
Some newbie friends of mine mastered the pull-up soon after they started CrossFit. I admired their dedication. I learned that when you want something, you find a way to make it happen. This particular friend bought a bar. Every time he walked by it, he told me, he tried to do a pull-up until he mastered it. Brilliant!
I thought about my first year at CrossFit. Like that friend, I could have mastered this skill. My challenge was the other 23 hours of my day.
I was in a serious state of stress. I didn't have enough energy to go back to the gym one additional time. I look back at that year as the year I did what I could with what I had. Thanks to my coaches, I learned the fundamentals of CrossFit. They answered every question I had and gave me a place to belong. The community aspect of my first box was matchless. I'm forever grateful.
I learned that while I had the desire to master a pull-up, the amount of stress I was navigating was not allowing me to make progress toward that goal. Good thing I never let go of that dream.
Yesterday, after a leisurely walk through my neighborhood, I decided to swing by the playground and see what kind of progress I made toward that goal of mastering the pull-up.
I climbed the monkey bars and my chin went over the bar. Jumped off. The strangest sensation filled my mind. "Did I just do a pull-up? Let me try again to see if it wasn't a mistake."
I did it a second time. I texted my family. "I just did 2 pull-ups at the park! Hard work pays off foreal! I'll keep working hard."
The other 23 hours contributed to those 2 pull-ups at the park. I never gave up on my dream. I chose to practice outside of class, no matter what.
I chose to let go of any self-defeating thoughts and kept working.
My next goal is to get 8 pull-ups in a roll. The first two were a gift. They were a reminder that the other 23 hours of my day can affect my personal goals.
I need to choose self-compassion as I set my goals. I need to choose persistence and hard work as part of the process.
I hope my story encourages you not to give up on your goals. Think about the other 23 hours. There's always time to work on your dreams.
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