Mental WOD 22: 2011 Your Year In-Review

3 of My New Favorite Peeps I Know Thanks to 2011

As we approach the end of each calendar year. We have an amazing opportunity to stop and take a look at what your year has looked like. We (or maybe just me) love to watch the national news or ESPN as they review all the events that has happened in the last year.

This week's mental WOD is to take a look through your journals (personal or workout), goal sheets, your calendar's, old emails, vacations or trips you took, birthday parties, events you attended, etc...

What are the top 5 moments that have occurred to you in 2011?
What are some of the mistakes that you have made that you have learned from?
What are some of the goals you set out to accomplish this year? Did you complete them? Why or why not?
What did you learn about yourself in 2011?

Something great about our lives is that we get the chance to learn from our successes and setbacks.

Here is another great post to help you see what can happen in just one year: WHAT CAN HAPPEN IN A YEAR?

Mental WOD 21: The Hierarchy of Accomplishing your Goals

Boom!

This last weekend I attended the CrossFit Goal Setting and Mindset Course. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who wants to improve their quality of life in all areas of personal, business, athletic, relationship wise, etc...

One of the BIG take-a-ways I had over the weekend was the power of our thoughts and words of what we say internally and out loud.

It amazing how a lot of us do not realize that what we say leads us to exactly where we will go (good or bad).

"So if people we know that what we say determines where we will go why would any of you want to stop yourself from only saying great things about yourselves?!?!"

I have written my takes of the power of:

*Self WOD talk
*YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND
*YOU ARE WHAT YOU SAY YOU ARE.

This weeks MENTAL WOD is to go back to the SELF WOD TALK post and follow the instructions.

We really have the power and the choice to determine what direction we will take.
Here is the perfect diagram to explain the hierarchy of our mindset (esp for those of you that do CrossFit)

kinda makes sense...

P.T.S!!

Mental WOD 20: No Time...M-A-K-E Time

Down with the No Time Excuses...

I love this time of the year. The holiday season is filled with family, friends, holiday events and parties. There is so much excitement in the air. For others this can be an overwhelming time of the year. With the end of the year deadlines, Xmas parties, family in-town, you going out of town it can get to the point of too many things to do in too little time to do it.

So then the infamous phrase that pays in fitness I love to hear, "I just don't 'HAVE' enough time to workout". So then my response is, "Well you need to make time!". They then proceed to tell me about all the things they 'have' to do.

"But I have deadlines at work"
"My parents are in town next week"
"I have this, I have that..."

Most of us know the old saying that we all have 24 hours in a day:

Why is it that some people are millionaires and some people are in 50k of debt?
Why are 2/3 of Americans obese and some people in amazing shape?
Why is the divorce rate 50%? What is the difference between the marriages that stick vs. the marriage that don't?

What is the difference? The ones on the successful side of the fence learn and practice how to M-A-K-E time.

So when I say you need to MAKE time this is exactly what I mean:

M - odify your time. You either control your time or your time controls you. There is no gray area about it. For those people that work around the clock: Can you seriously say you are working every single second for 16+ hours a day 7 days a week? Never looking at facebook? Texting your friends? You couldn't plan 10 minutes to workout. You couldn't roll out of bad and start your day with some pushups and light stretching?? Fact is you have the power to modify what you do with your time. Look honestly at your day and what you spend your time on. Find ways to modify what you do to add more time on what is important and reduce the time you spend on less important activities.

A - dust your schedule so that HIGH priority things get done first. It is easy to gravitate towards doing what is easy but usually the easy things are not that important which is why they are easy and we want to do them first. Start or plan your day with what matters most. It is no secret that you are going to get interrupted during the day, because it happens everyday.

K - now what is important. This is the easiest but hardest thing I have found personally. Have clear priorities. Sometimes I feel I want to accomplish so much that I end up getting frustrated and end up accomplishing nothing. You know what you want. Focus on what will get the most bang for your buck. The hard part is being honest with yourself, once you are, everything else starts making sense in your life.

E - liminate your BAD habits. If you have gotten to this point you have a great idea of what to do. This part is catching yourself as it happens during the day. Our bad habits have a sneaky way of creeping up on us. Being aware as they happen and having an alternate (good) habit to replace the bad habit is the key to victory.

-During that lull in your day and you reach for the diet coke --instead-- only have water available and reach for that.
-When you call yourself fat (out loud or in your head) -- you have a 10 burpee penalty.
-When you want to stay in bed and sleep instead of going to an early morning class -- sleep in your workout clothes, with your gym bad already packed and the alarm is set in the bathroom and loud enough to hear it so you have to get up to turn it off!

Now get crackin'.

P.T.S!

Good Change or Bad Change?

“Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” 
― John C. Maxwell

Change can be a bad thing or a great thing. But since it is mandatory why don't you make it work for you.

How do you handle change?

P.T.S!

Mental WOD #19: Self Confidence Formula

I was looking through some old files this weekend and came across something that I used to recite daily after I read, "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill.

The subconscious mind, is the chemical laboratory in which all thought impulses are combined, and made ready for translation into physical reality, and makes no distinction between constructive and destructive thought impulses. It works with the material we feed it, through our thought impulses. The subconscious mind will translate into reality a thought driven by FEAR just as readily as it will translate into reality a thought driven by COURAGE, or FAITH.

Train your brain and self confidence just like you do with your body. The stronger your brain gets the more potential you physically get.

Remember when we talk about your Self WOD talk.

What do you say to yourself during the 3 round of a throttle fest WOD?
What about right before you are about to attempt a weight you have tried yet?

I know if I train my brain better then you train your brain...I WILL WIN!

Here you go...You it and abuse it!.

The Self Confidence Formula:

First – I know that I have the ability to achieve the objective of my Definite Purpose in life therefore, I DEMAND of myself persistent, continuous action towards its attainment and I here and now promise to render such action.

Second – I realize the dominating thoughts of my mind will eventually reproduce themselves in outward, physical action and gradually transform themselves into physical reality, therefore; I will concentrate my thoughts for thirty minutes daily, upon the task of thinking of the person I intend to become, thereby creating in my mind a clear mental picture of that person. 

Third – I know through the principle of auto-suggestion, any desire that I persistently hold in my mind will eventually seek expression through some practical means of attaining the object of it, therefore, I will devote ten minutes daily to demanding of myself the development of SELF-CONFIDENCE. 

Fourth – I have clearly written down a description of my DEFINITE CHIEF AIM in life and I will never stop trying until I shall have developed sufficient self-confidence for its attainment. 

Fifth – I fully realize that no wealth or position can long endure, unless built upon truth and justice therefore, I will engage in no transaction which does not benefit all whom it affects.  I will succeed by attracting to myself the forces I wish to use and the cooperation of other people.  I will induce others to serve me, because of my willingness to serve others.  I will eliminate hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness, and cynicism, by developing love for all humanity because I know that a negative attitude toward others can never bring me success.  I will cause others to believe in me because I will believe in them and in myself. 

I will sign my name to this formula, commit it to memory, and repeat it aloud once a day with full FAITH that it will gradually influence my THOUGHT AND ACTIONS so that I will become a self-reliant and successful person.

                       Your name: __________________________________

P.T.S!

Time Can Be On YOUR Side...

Dressed TO Impress

I found this post that has really made a difference in my day. I used to believe if I write down a to-do list everything would magically get done. The problem is, our day's are filled with distractions. Creating this type of routine everyday no matter how you 'feel', no matter how 'busy' you get, will result in you 'getting things done' and moving forward everyday. In the beginning it is going to take constant reminders, double checking yourself, setting phone/calendar alarms, but just like any new habit, once you make it automatic you will reap the benefits.

P.T.S. your thoughts.

An 18-Minute Plan for Managing Your Day - HarvardBusiness.org:

Managing our time needs to become a ritual too. Not simply a list or a vague sense of our priorities. That's not consistent or deliberate. It needs to be an ongoing process we follow no matter what to keep us focused on our priorities throughout the day.

I think we can do it in three steps that take less than 18 minutes over an eight-hour workday.

STEP 1 (5 Minutes) Set Plan for Day. Before turning on your computer, sit down with a blank piece of paper and decide what will make this day highly successful. What can you realistically accomplish that will further your goals and allow you to leave at the end of the day feeling like you've been productive and successful? Write those things down.

Now, most importantly, take your calendar and schedule those things into time slots, placing the hardest and most important items at the beginning of the day. And by the beginning of the day I mean, if possible, before even checking your email. If your entire list does not fit into your calendar, reprioritize your list. There is tremendous power in deciding when and where you are going to do something.

If you want to get something done, decide when and where you're going to do it. Otherwise, take it off your list.

STEP 2 (1 minute every hour) Refocus. Set your watch, phone, or computer to ring every hour. When it rings, take a deep breath, look at your list and ask yourself if you spent your last hour productively. Then look at your calendar and deliberately recommit to how you are going to use the next hour. Manage your day hour by hour. Don't let the hours manage you.

STEP 3 (5 minutes) Review. Shut off your computer and review your day. What worked? Where did you focus? Where did you get distracted? What did you learn that will help you be more productive tomorrow?

The power of rituals is their predictability. You do the same thing in the same way over and over again. And so the outcome of a ritual is predictable too. If you choose your focus deliberately and wisely and consistently remind yourself of that focus, you will stay focused. It's simple.

Inner Potential...

Good Clean Weight Vest Fun:-)

On our track to success, we have to fight the tendency to look at others and see how far they’ve come. The only thing that counts is how we use the potential we possess and that we run our race to the best of our abilities. –Denis Waitley and Reni L. Witt

Do you compare yourself to others?

How's that 'working out' for you?

How Can I REALLY Change for the Better???

It happens all the time when someone is new to CrossFit or starting a new FITness regimen...They are motivated, excited going to conquer the world. 

Week 1: YOU are on FIRE!!!

Week 2: Feeling frisky and starting to 'feel' the results.

Week 3: Sore and fatiqued but still on the plan. 

Week 4: Oh no!...Missed a day or two. With a cheat meal or two. 

Week 5: Here comes all the justifications. 

Week 6: If YOU made it this far, good job and good luck. 

Think about this concept in other areas of your life: career, finances, relationships, etc...

“Why is it that some people are more successful than others?” 

What do successful people do different they the others that don't? 

To be successful in life is no secret.

Everyone had the same information? The same resources? The same amount of time in a day. 

Its the priniciple of knowing vs. doing? We know what to do, so why don't we do it? 

How do we change from knowing and to doing?  

There are 3 things that I learned from John Maxwell, need to happen for someone to change for the better.  

Hurt enough you have to: CrossFit is HARD! You get sore. You are challenged physically, mentally and emotionally to push yourself to your potential. Imagine when you start CrossFit you are a Honda Accord and you are being pushed to train like you are now a Ferrarri, not an easy task. You have to have some real goals. You have to be fed up with yourself and want better. It's gotta hurt on the inside for you to push yourself to be better. Because CrossFit is going to challenge you and see what you are made of. 

You learn enough you want to: Call it an epiphany. Call it divine intervention. Call it becoming empowered. Some of us our fortunate enough to see the light and not only figure out how CrossFit and Paleo works but how they finally figure out how it works in their lives. Once you do, you won't even think about going back to your old ways. 

Receive enough you are able to: Through the HARD work, consistency and self sacrifice you figure out this thing really works! It happens when your first pullup, first muscle up, first RX'd WOD or your crush a WOD you thought 'used to' be impossible and you want more! It is amazing to see the transformation in someone when this happens. When this happens you find that this is where the journey to ELITE FITness really begins and you can achieve anything you want too. 

I tell after the very 1st workout if someone is 'All Talk' or if someone is going to make things happen. 

P.T.S!!!

ch-EAT-ting Strategies

Ring Dips ROCK...squats do NOT!

As we journey on to ELITE FITness, we can never expect perfection. We can demand chasing perfection tho;-) Here is some strategies to help when you want get off track for a bit and go off roading but not crazy.

Developing a routine and healthy habits at home is not usually the problem, it's we we go out to eat that is the problem. I love to go out to eat and hang with friends just as much as anyone. Here are some ch-EAT-ing strategies to help:


-Limiting portion in advance: My weakness is chips and salsa. Every time I go to a Mexican joint, those are my kryptonite, and like with any indulge it is best to moderate. When I'm a good boy, I grab a desired, yet deceit, amount of chips and make sure that's all I grab. Limiting portions in advance does not allow you to 'have an out', brain fart, or have great conversation and not notice and you have just eaten 387 chips!


-The more good food you eat, the less bad food you eat: This one is as simple as it sounds. If you still want fries, chips, other bad sides, or desserts; load up on your meal with the goods (meat/protein and veggies) until you are full. Then you are more likely to not have as much bad stuff. We usually go crazy with over eating the bad stuff when we are hungry. When you are not hungry it helps a ton to curb your sweet/salty cravings.


-If you Booze (too much) you will lose: Blah, blah, blah..."I'm not giving up my wine!". "There is no way I'm not drinking this weekend!!". Fine! I get it. Alcohol is fun and makes you and others waaay more good lookin':-) Here is a great rule of thumb from the Paleo Solution book:


...For our clients the lifestyle piece is tougher to nail down than the exercise for sure, and it is even tougher than the food.  People will gladly pay to be beaten senseless in workouts, but they are ready to bolt when we suggest they get a few zzz's and curtail their boozing for the sake of their health and a better-looking fanny...

...What you need to know is that alcohol does not just blunt growth hormone release, it just turns it off.  This is not good for your health, recovery, or body composition.  Solution?...Drink earlier.  You need to get your booze in as far away from bedtime as you can...
...Much of the problem with drinking is not the booze itself but all the crap, usually sugar, that comes along with it.  Ditch your frou frou drinks with the umbrellas and go for clear liquor.  My favorite is Tequila (gold), prepared with the following ingredients:

The Infamous NorCal Margarita!
2 shots of gold tequila
Juice of 1 lime (the whole damn thing)
Splash of soda water

Drink one or two of these on an empty stomach early in your evening.  Wrap up the night with some protein and fat, and you are set....There is also some chemistry behind the recommendations.  The lime juice blunts insulin release and the carbon dioxide bubbles in the soda water act as what's called a "nonpolar solvent."  This actually extracts the alcohol from the drink and delivers it to your system faster...

...Beer is generally loaded with gluten.  If you can find a gluten-free variety, give it a shot, but keep in mind it does have significant sugar content...If you go for wine, opt for dry varieties, as they have less sugar...

-When you do something bad...make it up with something good: I read this phrase a few years ago and it has always stuck with me. Typical Americans would eat a bad meal and swear off food of any kind for days, because they had 'too many bad carbs/calories and they need to make up for it. When I go overboard with eating the wrong kinds of food. I usually try to rectify with. My idea of rectifying the bad for the good is cancel out the bad food you recently ate with some good food. If I ate some fried food, indulged in alcohol/desserts, I will immediately follow that up with eating some lean protein, fruit/veggies and supplement with some fish oil from SHF to balance everything back on track.

For more tips we recently have wrote about: Restaurant Rules

What are your ch-EAT-ing strategies you have developed?

Post to comments.

My Kinda Goal Setting

Last night we had our 1st 818 Paleo Posse Meeting and we discussed the most important thing regarding our 7 Week Paleo Challenge...GOALS!

Yeah, yeah, yeah we all have goals. "I want to lose 30 lbs", "My doctor said I have to get my cholesterol down", "I want to run faster".

Goals are a funny thing. People want a lot of things. But as the old saying goes, Actions speak louder than words!

For us to actually accomplish our goals wanting them, saying them, or even writing them down, is not going to get them done. We have to change how we think, change what we do, and make it a long term pattern of behavior.

The problem is we are conditioned. Where we are today (career, financially, romantically and of course FITness wise) is a product of what we have done. We have thought the way we thought. Made decision after decision. And acted the way we've acted over and over and over again. And the result is who we are today. For us to actually even think about changing our behaviors we have to do a lot more than write down some superficial goals on a piece of paper.

It's time to get down and dirty with our Goal Setting and 'ACTION' plan.

The way I see it, is we have 3 layers to effect goal setting:
-The actual goal, and it must be specific.
-The reasons why, aka SUPER WHY!
-Old Pattern vs. New Habit

Specific goal setting: This is an easiest of them. Wishy-washy goals will get your wishy-washy results. We need to know exactly want we want to accomplish or we have no real measure of progress or purpose to our goal. I find there are 3 different categories of goals.

Physical = Look better naked vs. I want to lose 30lbs.
Health = I have to kick my meds vs. I have get off my medication in 6 months.
Performance = I want to run faster vs. I want to run a sub 6:00 minute mile.

SUPER Why: This is where you make things happen. When you make a decision to change and you know your reasons, you will harness the force that comes from the desire to make something happen. For example:

Goal: You see, it's one thing to say you've decided to lose 30 pounds and get in shape.
SUPER Why: It's a whole other thing to have your doctor tell you that you'll be dead in a year and never see you children's children if you don't lose 30 pounds, pronto.

I know that you know deep down inside you have a number of reasons for deciding to change. I can't tell you exactly what they are, but I can tell you they are there. If you are having trouble finding your reasons here's a question that will begin to help you:

WHEN YOU LOOK AT YOURSELF, DO YOU HONESTLY LIKE WHAT YOU SEE?
HOW DO YOU FEEL DEEP DOWN INSIDE?
HOW DO YOU REALLY FEEL ABOUT YOURSELF?

It's important to really look. Since we all "see" ourselves every day, we often don't notice if we're slipping. If we're not careful, the image we have of ourselves in our minds will not be in sync with reality.

Old Patterns vs. New Habits: Whether a pattern of action is good or bad depends upon whether it takes us closer to or pushes us further away from our goals. -Identify three "unauthorized" patterns of action that may hold you back and write them down.

-Identify three new patterns of action that will help you reach your goals and write them down.

Action Plan: "What the heck am I going to do with these goals now???" Like I said earlier, saying or writing down your goals is not going to make them happen. Here is a checklist for success:

-Write down your reasons to change on a piece of paper. Read it first thing in the morning and again at night before going to sleep. Do this every day. These reasons will remain your guiding light, your beacon, during the journey you have now decided to begin.

-Make a daily plan This harnesses the power of intention and decision-making. Every day, plan what you will do in advance (meals, workout time), and record it. The idea is not just to look at where you've been, but also to plan where you are going. You can plan, record and analyze your progress. Through your records, you can clearly see the path you're on. If you're not transforming as rapidly as you would like, you can go back and troubleshoot, with precision.

-Remember that everything you do in the real world is merely an external manifestation of what has already happened in your mind "If your mind can conceive it, you can achieve it." Anything that you want to happen in your life -- that you really want to achieve -- you have to rehearse in your mind.

-When you overcome resistance, you create the power to continually reach higher. As you become more experienced, as your level of expertise in whatever it is you're doing advances, the objective is to continually reach higher and become even more efficient. Once you learn that skill, once you develop higher and higher high points, you will not only experience continual progress, you'll be downright unstoppable. That's what keeps you growing. It's what keeps you excited. It's what keeps you feeling alive. These moments create momentum, and once you get this process started, you'll start making breakthroughs you never imagined.

Here's the deal...It is easy to stick to a diet, or a workout program in the beginning. We are excited, motivated, everything is new we just started. Then your old patterns WILL creep back into your life, and it is going to do everything in it's power to take you back to your old ways. You will get tired...You will get unmotivated...You will NOT want to go to the gym...Your husband or spouse will want your time...You WILL have to work late...You old patterns will be calling you back! And it won't happen once. Setting the proper goals, with the SUPER WHY's and knowing your old patterns and new habits is going to give you the confidence and tools you will need in the the heat of the moment. And when you WIN, it makes it sooooo worth it!

Question of the Week...

Happy, Sad, Nervous - All At The Same Time

"How you respond to the challenge in the 2nd half will determine what you become after the game, whether you are a winner or a loser." - Lou Holtz

It's hump day and the week is almost half over! What are you going to do to make sure you finish STRONG?!

Unlocking YOUR Potential...

In Santa Barbara:-)

“Continuous effort, not strength or intelligence, is the key to unlocking your potential.”
– Winston Churchill



What stops YOU from hitting your FULL potential???

Mental WOD 18: To Legit to QUIT...

Vote for the best Animal shirt in the comments!

“When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed in more ways than physical."  - Emil Zatopek


Is it raining? That doesn’t matter. 
Am I tired? That doesn’t matter, either. Then willpower will be no problem.”

When you’re new to training/ramping up your training/waking up earlier/pushing yourself to the next level mid-WOD, it’s shocking to your body.  Your body tells you to quit, to give up and do something easier– like sit down and catch your breath, or just go slower.  It’s easy to eat garbage or just not go to the gym.

But after you force yourself to workout a hundred or a thousand times, after you ignore the desire give up every workout, you get to a point where you forget that quitting is an option.  It’s not that you’re ignoring the voice in your head that tells you slow down, it’s not that you are resisting the urge to quit.  It’s that you’ve ignored that voice and resisted that urge so many times that you have completely forgotten that stopping is even possible.  You’ve temporarily forgotten what it means to quit.

If you know what I mean, then good for you.  If you doubt, don’t worry, you’ll get there.  Just be persistent, come to the gym when you’re supposed to and make yourself finish every workout– even if you’re the last one done.  

Don’t let yourself be a quitter and before you know it, you’ll forget that quitting was ever possible. 

Found from CrossFit Marin

Mental WOD 17: Sweat the Small Stuff...Sometimes

Never neglect the little things.
Never skimp on that extra effort, that additional few minutes, that soft word of praise or thanks, that delivery of the very best that you can do. It does not matter what others think; it is of prime importance, however, what you think about you. You can never do your best, which should always be your trademark, if you are cutting corners and shirking responsibilities.

You are special. Act it. Never neglect the little things.
—Og Mandino

Small, seemingly insignificant acts are powerful agents of change and growth. Contrary to the phrase, “Don’t sweat the small stuff,” small actions do add up, say Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval, authors of The Power of Small: Why Little Things Make All the Difference. In fact, small actions can change careers, relationships, well-being and the impact people have on the world.

I have taken the principles and recco'd them. For the original reasons why go to THIS POST on successmagazine.com

⇒ ADD VALUE.

You are what you repeatidly do. Before you start your day, think about how you can add or do more for you, your family, health, savings, personal growth, etc..., learn something new, or improve your skills and performance. Repeat the process daily and you will reap rewards.

⇒ TAKE ONE EXTRA MINUTE.

  Whisper words of encouragement to a friend or co-worker. CALL OUT someone who is slacking. Don't leave something unfinished.

⇒ TEACH, DON’T PREACH.

  It is often said that, "More is caught then taught". Be the example by your actions, not your words.

⇒ BE 4 AGAIN.

Ask small questions. Don’t be afraid to ask why and why not. If you admire someone’s success, be nosy about why they achieved it. Ask for the specific steps they took and how they reached their goals.

⇒ ENLIST A FRIENDLY CRITIC.

  Sometimes we are so hard on ourselves that we can't truly see who we are in reality. Recruit a friend to give you an honest look at YOU. Most times you know who you really are and just need a PEP TALK.

⇒ OFFER TO DO SOMETHING EXTRA REGULARLY.

It can be as modest as giving your spouse a break by offering to walk the dog or helping a coworker get a rush project to FedEx. Once is good, often is much better. The effects can last longer than you think.

⇒ MAKE A HUMAN CONNECTION.

Whether it’s chatting with the bank teller, the woman behind you in the movie line or the person at the coffee counter, small talk is a lost art, especially when everyone is communicating by BlackBerry or Facebook. Small personal exchanges can brighten the day, help change your perspective, even spark a business deal or great love story.

⇒ MAKE SMALL IMPRESSIONS.

Look for ways to insert a positive impression, no matter how small, into every encounter. Pay a compliment, bring extra treats to the dog park, hold the elevator for the straggler in the lobby, or keep and share an extra umbrella in your office. Something I have learned through my wife is, writing thank you cards. It is such a small and POWERFUL form of GRADITUTE.

P.T.S!!!

How BAD Do YOU Want It???

Impressive B

Some video's just speak to me. They shake something loose inside of me and really wake me up.

People say that want to be successful. The cool thing about life is YOU have to prove it!

My favorite line of this video: "If you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you will be successful."

Dare to Compare...

Which is the better Looking Post WOD face???

In your FITness, Career and the other important areas of your life it is easy to compare what you want to what others have...Or is it?

"I wish I could do as many ____ as he/she can!"
"Why can't I go as fast in the ____as he/she can?!"

Also, in life and career:

-"I want to be rich and famous"
-"Why can't I catch a break like, _____ can"

We are all fascinated by celebrities, athletes and people of stature and the achievements they have accomplished. Even your friends you CrossFit with or people you admire that are not necessarily famous but have achieved FITness or career levels that you 'wish' to attain. It is easy to compare them to our personal achievements and beat ourselves up for not being in a similar position.

But are you doing a FULL comparison???

If you haven't put in the blood, sweat and tears they have, can you honestly compare yourself to them?...Hell NO! What do you expect?

If you want the success and income of your Millionaire Next Door, how does your resume stack up compared to his/her? Have you put in the hours they have? What connections have you build? Do you put in the extra work to do what it takes..... Do you even KNOW what it takes to get to the Next Level?

If you are upset after a workout that had lets say, ring pushups, and the person next to you crushed you and your time, how does your CrossFit resume compare to theirs? How many WODs have you done compared to them? How sound is your nutrition? Do you work on your weaknesses? Etc...

If you want to hit a golf ball like Tiger Woods, how does your weekly approach to your golf game compare to his?

Speaking of Tiger Woods check out this post to help "drive home":-) this topic more;

It Takes a Lot to Be a Tiger

Think of Tiger Woods. He has been golfing since age three. You may flip on the US Open one Sunday afternoon, see Tiger valiantly trying to force a playoff on one leg, and you may still think, “Gosh, I wish I had a swing like that!” After the tournament, you go out to the driving range, grab two buckets of balls, and work on your drive. Monday comes around: do you go and hit three buckets? Tiger would. You see that Tiger has hundreds of millions of dollars in endorsements and winnings; you see the perfect drive Monday on his 91st hole that will put him in position to seal the tournament. You don’t see the Tiger that is at the driving range, fifteen minutes after dark, squinting through the night to see if his 300th iron shot of the day went to where he had planned. You don’t see all of the work he and his father put into his craft since he was three. You see the end product, which makes him less of a role model, and more a center of envy.

If Tiger’s principles, rather than his persona, were your role model, you would go out on Monday, hit three buckets of balls, then go again Tuesday and hit four. He should not be your role model because he birdied the 18th hole to force a playoff on Sunday. He should be your role model because of how he put himself in position to do so. It was the role Tiger’s dedication played in his success that should be your model. What if Tiger fails? What happens if Tiger Woods ends up double bogeying the 18th hole, not forcing a playoff, and loses? Does Tiger’s failure mean you should not admire the hell out of the fact he played with a torn ACL and two stress fractures—enough knee damage that would keep most of us on the couch asking if someone could please hand over the remote? Found from HERE

Next time your compare, don't compare only what you see, find out what you DON'T see, and if you don't compare to the work they put in...Stop Crying or Suck It Up!

P.T.S.!

Mental WOD 16: To Do List Don't Mean Crap Unless...

You execute it!

Knowledge is NOT Power!...Unless it's applied.

We all have great ideas. We all have great intentions. We all can PLAN AHEAD, but does any of it really mean anything unless we actually DO IT and PULL THE DAMN TRIGGER???

For the purpose of this post I am referring to starting a healthy new habit i.e. adding in an additional workout in a week, stretching, running, reading more, writing a blog, cooking your meals for the week, etc...

Everyone operates a little differently. So here are a couple options to see which principle or combination of principles will work for you to 'JUST DO IT!'

-Find Time: PRE-PLANNING is always a good idea. But until you work your new habit/To-Do item into your weekly routine CONSISTENTLY it will always be hard to implement.

-Make Time: Last weeks MENTAL WOD 15 is a good way.

-Find a Coach: One of the reasons why CrossFit works is because a really good coach is on your side. When you don't show up, they CALL YOU! And you magically show up. Not brain surgery just having someone in your corner will do wonders for your consistency.

-Recruit a friend: Find a friend that has similar drive, goals, and attitude. When they are down in the dumps, most likely you will be on and can help them through it, and vice versa!

For this week's Mental WOD not only start a healthy new habit but set yourself up for success. Post and your thoughts, comments, and questions...just P.T.S!

Question of the Week...

Accomplishing what you want out of life comes down to how important it is to you.  If its important enough, you’ll do it and the benefits will pay in spades.




What is important enough for you???

Mental WOD 15: Get Up 1 Hour Earlier

Human...Turkish Get-Up's in the morning???

Every morning I wake up (@645am most days) watch MY WIFE get up and go workout. And I...roll over and snooze for another 45min to an hour. I am so impressed by her work ethic and consistentency. Rain or shine she is up and ready to go, and she is not a morning person, trust me:-) And the results speak for herself. Today I was 'planning' on getting up with her, but the same old story happened...GRRRR!

So I am just gonna pull the damn trigger and do it this week and make it this week's Mental WOD. Plan to get up every morning 1 hour earlier than normal and add in a workout, journaling, prayer, affirmations, or anything that is going to promote you to be better and empower you for the rest of the day.

Why???

Get up one hour earlier than the rest of your household. Gain clarity on your priorities and start your day empowered. "Use the time as an inspirational hour—reconnect with you mission, core values and review your goals," says Robin Sharma, motivational expert and author of The Leader Who Had No Title. "This will build deep focus against distractions as you move through your day." Or spend your hour meditating, visualizing achieving what's most important to you, writing in a journal, listening to music, reciting  affirmations or exercising.

Just DO IT early birds!

What will you do with you extra hour?

P.T.S!

Cherry Picking YOUR Life...

The short-shorts 630p crew at CF 818

Yesterday we talked about Cherry Picking your workouts and why NOT too. Today, we will tackle what are some areas you 'cherry pick' and why.

Below is a quote from Frank I. Luntyz author of,  Win: The Key Principles to Take Your Business from Ordinary to Extraordinary. Frank discusses one of the 9 P's of Winning in Leadership and in Life.




Principled Action
What good is winning at work if you lose at life? The concluding chapter puts in perspective the essential nature of a set of the guiding principles that define true winners. It focuses on those who gave up their morality, humanity, and decency in the chase for success—and how they fell from grace because winning wasn’t just everything, it was the only thing.

I have often said that how you CrossFit says a lot about how you live your life? If you cheat in workouts, more often you will cheat at something in your life. If you skip a workout because of fear or you feel inadequate, you will skip other important areas of your life.

And just the opposite is true. If you push yourself to your potential, you will do the same with your life. If you are disciplined, consistent, focused, caring and helpful, that bleeds to other areas of your life.

If you are serious about your health and fitness (i.e. you are a CrossFitter) you are 'most likely' serious about all other areas of your life.

It amazes me how some people are so successful in one area of their life and lack so much in all other areas of their lives. I know close personal friends and family that retire very successfully and have tons of time and money to do anything and everything they desire, but spend most of their time paying for medical bills and restricted to a sedentary lifestyle because they worked too HARD during they careers.

Putting too much time in one area of your life to achieve a high level of success with letting all others areas of your life go by the wayside, is not the path to take. You will pay for it later in life...LITERALLY!

As we are taking a LONG-HARD look at our lives this week. I encourage you to prioritize ALL areas of your life (faith, family, health, education and wealth).

Lets here where you are today and how you are planning to take control of your life.

P.T.S!!!

Cherry Picking, Ducking, and Avoiding WODs...

This includes Cherry Picking Warmups...YIKES!

Here is my post for www.crossfit818.com site today.

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”
Frederick Douglass

It's confession time!


How many of you have cherry picked a WOD? (Cherry picking is knowing what the WOD is before you attend a class, and deciding NOT to go because you are scared, worried, think you can't do it, etc...)

Here are a few reasons why you should NOT cherry pick WODs:

1- You will continue to NOT improve and your overall fitness and results will suffer: The great thing about CrossFit is it exposes your weaknesses. If you are weak you will get stronger (anything with the barbell), if you are uncoordinated you will get coordinated (i.e. Double Unders), if you get gassed with your cardio you will get better (running/rowing). Your lack of proficiency in one area is holding back your overall results. CrossFit is the perfect way to improve because not only are you practicing the movement, you are getting great coaching, and you are being tested and in an environment where you will only build the skills to improve.

2- Your friends will surpass you: Because they don't cherry pick WODs your friends and fellow CrossFitter's will get better than YOU! You may be stronger than them now, but as they continue to progress in all other areas of their fitness they will eventually crush you in future WODs and that is NOT fun.

3- Your a role model: "No I'm not, I just want to get a good workout"...B.S.! I have noticed that if you care enough to cherry pick WOD's your other CrossFit friends will notice too. Remember when you were in grade school on the playground at recess playing pick up basketball and there was always that one kid who would shoot every time he touched the ball, and would NEVER play any defense! Then, when your team was playing defense and the opposing team would shoot the ball, he would 'cherry pick' and run to the end of the court and ask for the pass just so he could shoot again...and you would be like "Hell No, that chump doesn't play any defense"! Well that's the same as cherry picking WODs:-) You don't want to be know as the guy/gal that avoids what they are weak/or feel inadequate at, you want to be know as the champion/the fighter/ the person who adds to the community and is a driving force to help lead, teach, encourage and inspire others.

Next time you are looking up what our Workout Of the Day is, and you before you think ahhh I can't do... stop, drop and sign in for that class ASAP!

Onward to ELITE Fitness!

P.T.S!

Metntal WOD 14: Check YOUR Engine Light

It takes discipline to balance your life. You should be disciplined with your faith, family, health, education and wealth. You should also be disciplined with your play and your rest.

For the last couple of weeks I have be on a blog vacay. I used this vacay for a time to examine where I am at with my life, where I want to be going, and what I desire to be doing? And I'm still in the midst of that:-)

Too many of us let life take control over us and our thoughts. Sometimes it is NECESSARY to stop your routine and re-examine everything you are doing and where you want to go. If you don't, you could wake up and 5, 10, 20 years have gone by and you won't know where the time has passed. And it that's the case most likely you haven't accomplished the things you have wanted too.

Consider this post your courtesy B-Slap! Or friendly wake up call...

This week's Mental WOD. Is to take a step back and set some quiet time aside and examine everything that is going on in your life.

Your job/career?
Your health habits?
Your family life?
Your personal development?
Your daily thoughts?
Your weekly routine?

Take a long HARD look at everything that is going on with you. Is it aligned with where you want to go? Do you even know where you want to go???

P.T.S!!!

Tuesday Quote

My Man Art!

You do not need to be different from who you are. You only need to be more of the person you already are. ~Brian Tracy

Mental WOD 13: Getting Back on Track

We all fall off the wagon at some point in our life. We all slack off and lose the fire.


I have fallen off the blogging wagon! My goal for this blog is to post 5x a week. I was going strong for the first 6 months. Then sh*t happens! My priorities shifted and thus the lack of consistency in my posting suffered. But I am commitment ed to regaining my blogging fire!

How do you get off track with your commitments?
Do you get back on track? How?

There are a ton of blogs and lists to help you get back on track: "Eat the Frog, Prioritize, Make Time, Change your routine, etc..."

What is it that truly gets you back on track? What is the moment you finally say, "I've had it!" And that is the point you decide to change for the good.

What I have found to work with me is to recruit someone to help me. Its easy to justify why I should or shouldn't do something that is good for me or what I want to do. When I tell someone I trust and respect to help hold me accountable in advance, because I know I will try to weasel out of it in the future. They are right there to step in and help me when I need it. I think that is why I love to be that person for others because it in-turn helps me learn from myself in the process. 

This week's Mental WOD is to find the one BIG thing that has been lingering for far too long to get done or get started...and DO IT! Also, post to comments what it took for you to get back on track.

P.T.S!!!

Rest Day Quote

Enough said...

Mental WOD 12: Want It vs. Do It

Most of us have good...actually great intentions. We are motivated, we set goals, we PRIORITIZE them, but for some crazy reason it takes forever to accomplish or not accomplish at all!

Why???

Life is crazy, fast, and sometimes unmanagable. But is it really?

Two things happen to us in life. We take control or life takes control of us. Which side of the fence are you on?

A great way to set yourself up to succeed with your goals is to create priorities in your life and stick to them.

Here are 5 ways to create rules and guidelines to live by and create progress and balance in your life:

1- Create priorities. If you don't take care of YOU 1st everything you WANT to accomplish will suffer. Balance is key. Do not bump exercise, play and time with family or friend in favor of work or tasks to do. If you don't get enough to recharge your balance battery your productivity will go down, your body will break down (injured, stressed, get sick).

2- Get your deadline work done first. Attach dates/timelines to tasks that are of importance. Create urgency to get those tasks done and avoid getting distracted with less important things (checking facebook, answering not important emails, daydreaming, etc...)

3- Recognize that some things really are better done tomorrow. This is really an extension of #2. We may have a lot on our list but that doesn't mean it all has to get done today. When you prioritize the important vs. not urgent you will be more focused and relaxed throughout your day and week.

4- Outsource. Ask for help when needed. We aren't super heroes here. It's easier to ask for help if you have been willing to help out others in the past. Its a two way street.

5- Stop overpromising and over scheduling. It is easy to WANT to do more and more. It is good intentions but will end up with bad results. Stay organized and focused take on what works with you and your schedule.

List taken from Unchained Entrepreneur

5 Most Inspirational Places...

#6 was everytime I teach a CF WOD

When and where are the places to be when inspiration hits? You know, the time when you have the best ideas, the best thoughts, motivation, life changing AAHAA moments... When its the Best kind of inspiration it finds you, you can't go looking for it. But I believe you have those places where it is easier for inspiration to happen. Here is my favorite 5 places:

1. In an airplane.
2. Long Road Trips.
3. By myself at the beach, hiking, sitting at the lake.
4. Waking up early with a cup of coffee/tea, in a quiet home before anyone else is awake.
5. Walking Rambo, or on a long run (which doesn't happen very often;-)

What about you? When and where does inspiration find you?

Some info and idea from a past CFLA post

The Best Way to be Your Best...

This isn't what we're talking about...

Surrounding yourself with people that are better than you.

The people we surround ourselves with determine how we think, speak and act. They will LIFT you up or PULL you down.

"Well duh!" So how do I find better people to hang out with. A lot of the time it starts with YOU first. I found a great list to go by from: Jason Seidan...

• Let go of judgment. The first step in recognizing talent is recognizing talent! You can only do this if you are able to put aside your own issues and prejudices and see others for who they are. ie, if you’re starving, any chef is a 4 star chef. You’ve got to be able to compensate for your own “schtick” when assessing others.
• Let go of ignorance. Sifting through the self-promoters to get to what’s real requires that you have some education about the world around you.
• Let go of jealousy. If you’re jealous of what they’ve got, you’ll feel it, they’ll feel it, and badness will be inevitable.
• Let go of need. Needing others is only fractionally better than being jealous of them. Needing people leads you to make demands. Which amps up the awkward and ends painfully.
• Let go of labels. Strong people don’t need anyone to define a relationship with labels because they’re able to figure it out on their own. Trying to label a relationship can scare a strong person off. (Not comfortable with ambiguity? Keep that to yourself.)
• Let go of doubt. Great people want people around them who are even better then themselves. If you don’t believe you belong, you don’t belong.
• Let go of control. Great people will do things you don’t understand and can’t explain. Insisting on living in a world you fully understand will keep you from experiencing people who can open you up to new and bigger ideas. Great people approach their worlds with innocence, wonder, and curiosity.
• Let go of you. Help the people around you shine brighter. The strong ones’ll keep you around and start feeding your gift back to you. (The weak ones will show their true colors by trying to take advantage or assuming malintent on your part—easy to deal with once you’re prepared for it.)
• Let go of work/life distinctions. When the relationship comes first, it’s sometimes difficult to know if it’s going to grow into friendship, business, or both. Especially with great people who jump from idea to idea with ease, and make no distinction between a project that makes money and one done for fun. Be profersonal.
• Let go of self-esteem. The thing about surrounding yourself with awesome is, you are always being challenged. It’s with love and support, but they’re challenges nonetheless, and you must win, without help, without cheating, without rationalizing. And when you don’t win, you must bounce back quickly and confidently because you don’t want to fail twice in a row.
• Let go of ego. You love that local band? Accept that you’re just one small part of their success, and help them get big anyway. Make it your goal to enjoy next year’s conversation with that girl who claims she “discovered” the band on the radio “last month.”
• Let go of negative. Awesome people fix things or laugh about them. They see no third option.
• Let go of safe. Surrounding yourself with extraordinary people guarantees one thing: change. Scary, risky, life-altering change. No-more-comfort-zone change. For instance, if I were the worlds’ best matchmaker and we were hanging out, I could find you your true love. When I did, would you be ready? Great people requires us to abandon the safe harbor of our routines.

Did you get it yet? Greatness happens when you let go. It’s the ultimate “stone soup;” you bring only your true self and all the other ingredients you think you need actually are provided by others when the time comes. It takes an incredible amount of self-confidence and faith to play this game—but I never did say it was easy.

Choose to better yourself by choosing better people to be with.

P.T.S!