So this past weekend I had the privilege of going to watch the OC Throwdown in Costa Mesa, CA. The competition consisted of 60 men, 60 women, and a male and female master’s division. The organizers of the event also invited several CrossFit Games competitors and threw them in the mix (Lindsay Valenzuela, Kris Clever, Talayna Fortunato, Neil Maddox, Tommy Hackenbruck, and Kenny Leverich just to name a few). The athletes who qualified had to fight against hundreds of others over 3 weeks, in a 3 WOD qualifier for the opportunity to play on the big stage. One of those individuals was your own Whitney Cappellucci. Whit battled it out in 6 WODs over the course of 2 days. She endured a 7k run (part of it with a 45# sandbag), muscle ups, CTB pullups, box jumps, deadlifts, a clean ladder, rope climbs, and a chipper with almost every CrossFit movement imaginable! At the end of it all on Sunday afternoon Whit finished in 5th place overall! A truly amazing achievement! Finishing in front of Kris Clever (the 2010 CrossFit Games Champion) and Talayna Fortunato (3rd Place at the 2012 CrossFit Games). Over the course of the 2-day event I watched Whit perform in a way that truly deserves to be called incredible. There were countless moments where I found myself yelling and cheering with goose bumps on my arms, and realized I was in the presence of something special. I relished the opportunity to watch Whit duke it out against some of CrossFit’s best, and I was also inspired and motivated beyond belief. As I flew home I couldn’t wait to return to CFABQ, to get a barbell in my hands, and get back to work. Thank you, Whit!
My question to all of you is: What motivates you? Is it watching the outstanding achievements of athletes like Whitney and wanting to be in their shoes? Is it your children, your spouse, a friend or family member? Is it the pursuit of better health, a few more years with the grandkids, staying out of a nursing home? Do you want to compete in local CrossFit competitions, Regionals, or the Games? If you haven’t found what motivates you in life, please, search for it fervently. And once you find it, hold onto it with all your might and let it drive you to fulfill your passion. At the end of the day everything else is just background noise.
Here is an article I read recently about success and motivation, and thought the author was spot on. Disclaimer: this article is not about sunshine and roses; it contains profanity, is in your face, and will make you do some true introspection. Enjoy!
Great article Matt, it was some great advice. I will carry this message to TX just to let everyone know the greatness of Matt Booth.
Ha ha. Thanks bro. Hope everything is going well for you out there. Keep us updated.
You’re awesome Matt Booth. Working together with everyone, doing what Ben tells us to do and pushing each other is the reason we went last weekend. That article is pretty sweet too. Tough love
Not sure how to say this well, but what motivates me is to feel alive through a mix of challenge, suffering and fun…to look at something and know that its beyond me at the moment but through hard work and sacrifice the unobtainable becomes obtainable…I use that for myself (personal challenges like Death Race and Climbing and Ski Mountaineering), for others (coaching all of you amazing athletes), and with my children, family, and job.