This week marks 4 years of CrossFit for me. I love celebrating milestones and pausing to reflect. In some ways, I wonder if I should be further along with particular skills or have more strength with certain lifts. The truth is though, I am immensely proud of myself. Beginning 4 years ago, and every 6 months and year that has passed since—I have continued to grow and become better, healthier, stronger, fitter, happier, you name it! I don’t want to take for granted the ease I now have when walking into the CrossFit gym. The way I carry myself, the way I interact with other athletes, and of course what I am able to do during any given workout of the day. Because 4 years ago, this certainly wasn’t the case.
Although I desperately wanted to do CrossFit, that didn’t change the fact that it was a huge challenge for me to begin my journey. It has made me realize that even though we may really, really want to do something—it can be easy to let fear hold us back from saying yes. Why is this? If we want to do something, shouldn’t we be able to just do it? I think change is hard, and I think new things are hard. I think we also sometimes have fear centered around thoughts about failing.
I think it is almost always the case that after we decide to say yes, and get a little bit further into our journey, we never regret our decision. Ultimately we have to choose to suffer through the beginning and not give up on ourselves when we are new at something. What kept me going in the beginning of my CrossFit journey was seeing all of the AMAZING athletes that surrounded me and thinking to myself, “future Demie can be like that”. As my body composition and entire mindset has continued to change, I realize that 4 years later—I am now that.
Whatever it is that you want to do, never let fear hold you back from saying yes or from starting. Know that you can “embrace the suck” of being new, and all of the challenges that it comes with. I can guarantee that the hard season that “the beginning” is, is so much better compared to living in a state of regret for not ever starting. Another helpful thing to tell yourself is that you are going to learn and grow from this. What can it teach you? How are you going to change for the better? I was just telling my mom on the phone the other day that CrossFit has done so much for my relational skills, my interactions with others, and my comfortability with being myself.
Never let fear hold you back from saying yes. Believe in yourself that you can do it—whatever “it” is.
Remember to LIVE your ADVENTURE.
See you later Going Further Fam! ✌️
Demie