Kicking Negativity to the Curb

I bought this shirt not too long ago because it told the world exactly how I was feeling whenever I wore it. I thought it was funny because that's how I approached my workouts and the rest of my training -- it was funny because it was true.  

Interestingly enough, not long after I bought the shirt I got turned on to Ben Bergeron's podcasts, and then his recently published book, both called Chasing Excellence.  Bergeron coaches Mat Fraser, Katrin Davidsdotter, Cole Sager and Brooke Wells who are all Games athletes with Mat and Katrin defending their titles in this year's Games as the fittest Man and Woman on Earth.  He also owns and coaches at CrossFit New England, one of the earliest and most successful CrossFit gyms.  Not too shabby!

Ben shares his coaching (and life) philosophies in both formats and I won't go into them in detail here (although here's the link to his most relevant podcast Chasing Excellence Episode 6) but I will say that the foundation of his philosophies is about character and mindset and how those two things can change a good athlete into a great one.  How you approach everything in daily life speaks volumes about your mindset.  Do you whine, groan and moan your way through your day or do you find ways to be optimistic, confident and focused?  Do you think most about the opportunity or the pain-in-the-ass factor of your next challenge?  When you look at the workout that was posted for the next day, is your first thought, "Oh crap!" or is it "Looks like fun!"

After I spent a good bit of time in thought I realized I had become someone who sat very much on the negativity side of the spectrum.  It wasn't that that I was a chronic complainer but I certainly didn't come to the gym brimming with optimism.  Once I had this epiphany I began to notice how much my internal dialogue filled up with negative comments throughout the day: about myself, about people in Wegman's (especially the parking lot), about other drivers on the road, about people in my social media feeds, about stuff in the newspaper, about stuff around the house ... well, you get the picture.

So, I have vowed to get off the negativity train, not just because positivity is more fun (and it is) but because it will go help make me a better person -- my best self.  So now one of my goals in the gym is to make each and every rep, set and workout the best I can make it.  I'll do that by telling myself that I am strong, that the bar is light, that trying is good and that failure is even better.  I'll smile through the tiredness and look for the fun in the effort.  I don't plan on being perfect but I do intend to be my best.  I'll keep working on bringing my best self to other parts of my life as well (although the Wegman's parking lot is going to remain a challenge, not gonna lie!)

Anyone want to buy a shirt?