“How do you harden the F*** up?”
Heard this question more than a few times. Hell, I ask myself every-damn-day. This is another reason why I use CrossFit as one of the foundations for reaching my life and fitness goals. Life isn’t easy; my workouts shouldn’t be either.
So how do I harden up when life — or my workouts — seem just a bit too much for me? I remember, “I’m not dead. Keep movin’! Do one more. Stop actin’ like a little punk!” (Seriously, I talk to myself way too much.)
Here are a few simple rules to remember:
1. BE YOUR BEST YOU. Seems simple in concept, but is it? My own worst enemy — my own real competition — is myself. Many people defeat themselves before the challenge even arises. Just do your damnedest in all you do. Remind yourself of those less fortunate than yourself who don’t complain, whine like crybabies, or let circumstances beyond their own control keep them from becoming the best they can be. Life gives us opportunities to go above and beyond our goals; to exceed our own limitations. When your everyday stresses press you downward, like the 8th repetition on 135-pound thrusters, most goals hardly seem attainable. Stop for a brief moment, take a deep breath, and get back to work. Give it your very best effort and…
2. DON’T EVER QUIT. Keep pushing forward. You fall down, get up immediately. Quitting is for punk-bitches. I ain’t no punk-bitch, are you? Soldier on; there is no rest for the wicked. Be wicked. Remember, “If you feel pain, you’re not dead yet.”
3. FEAR IS GOOD. Fear asks you to take chances. If you don’t have fear in life, you’re probably not doing anything worth living for. Fear life. Live every day like it’s your last. (Cliche and true.) And if you don’t fear your workout, it’s not hard enough. Shrinking into the fetal position and crying like a baby is not an option in life; it’s not an option in your workouts either.
“Do not go gentle into that good night… Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” (Dylan Thomas)
4. NEVER SAY CAN’T. If you speak it, you believe it. If this is the case, there is nothing more to be done — you have already lost. Be the little train tuggin’ up the tall hill, “I think I can. I think I can…” If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will. (Why should they?)
5. DO JUST ONE MORE. Chew-up challenges, spit-out results, and stay hungry for more. While long-term goals are a necessity in life, breaking-down each into individual, attainable short-term goals is essential in obtaining and exceeding your personal desires. You want to be a millionaire? Make one dollar first. It’s not 21-15-9 in Fran, it’s 1-1-1-1 until you’re finished with the workout. Just do one more until there is nothing left, then find another and get some.
There are many basic, yet important rules to live by, these are just a few. Just know — you are not alone. Everyone has struggles. Challenges obstruct many a narrow path. Keep your head-up, eyes on the prize glimmering ahead of you, and relentlessly push onward.
In strength.
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