Alright guys and gals we need to have a chat about your mental attitudes (no this doesn’t include everyone so stop getting offended and read on). Obviously the CrossFit open is upon us. Week one is in the books, and already I am hearing self doubt amongst the masses. I have news for all of you!! You have already done something that most people are afraid to even try. Unless you are trying to compete at regionals , who gives a flying wazoo if you score doesn’t match up with Annie Thorsdotir or Dan Bailey. The fact that you even committed yourselves to the open speaks volumes about your character. You aren’t the type of person who lets life pass them by, you are the type of person who likes being challenged, otherwise you wouldn’t have signed up. That being said let yourself be challenged, this competition is designed to make people do things they previously thought to be impossible. In the end you will be challenged, you will want to quit, every muscle in your body will say stop. That’s when you have to say in your mind, I am better than this, I am not a quitter, If I try one more rep I know that I did my best. There is a special place you have to go inside your head that drowns everything out and allows you to keep pushing. It allows you to keep fighting even when your body feels like it cant take another step or do another rep. I do not want to hear “I can’t” or “that’s a good score for a wolf packer so I wont even come close to that”. In my opinion that is bullshit and you are better than that. If you set your sights low you will miss low. Screw underestimating yourself, go for that shit!! The mind is such a powerful tool, if you say you cant or that you are no good, guess what!!!!!!!! you wont be. On the other hand if you look in the mirror(by yourself of course) and tell yourself that your a bad ass mother F^%$^ and you are going to murder yourself by digging deeper than ever before. You will become that animal, that bad ass mother F@#$! that pours heart and soul into everything they do. The key is actually believing yourself, and believing in yourself. Being a bad ass isn’t reflected in a score it’s reflected in your character. I have seen plenty of so called bad asses that I would rather throat punch than shake hands with. I have always respected the person who says nothing and leads by example. Be that person, I want to see you dead on the floor after every open workout attempt, I want you to know that you did your best. I don’t want you to go home and say I really think I could have done a few more reps. You have to know 100% at the end of that workout there wasn’t anything in your power to allow you a higher score. Quit giving up before you start, I can guarantee that you have gone through something harder than these workouts at some point in your life. Channel that energy and let it guide you. I leave you with two of my favorite quotes ” If the horse is blind, load the wagon anyways” and ” The clock will take care of itself, you worry about taking care of you”.
Sincerely,
AJ Bales
