Day 24... Commitment – Get Some!

Something i found online...


Yesterday, I kicked off what in the end may become a “business series” built upon real-life CrossFit Sioux Falls application. I guess the lesson from yesterdays post “What are you Worth? can be summed up as the “CrossFit Sioux Falls Value Proposition” with a bit of sales and motivation tossed in for good measure.

Today, I am going to touch on another “high value” word, “Commitment.” Commitment is of the essence to success with most anything, CrossFit definitely not the exception. Commitment at CrossFit is so much more than a word…it is so many things – the “I am with you,” the “I will fight through the suck,” the “I am here and even if I don’t know why, I am still here,” the “I can finish,” the “I want to quit but that would be easy, so I fight,” the “you put a negative word here and follow it up with a motivation that leads to long term success.” Now, instead of “I” in all of the above, replace it with “we” and you have a team and not just any team, but a committed team.

At CrossFit Sioux Falls we are committed to our athletes and to CrossFit. We plan ahead, coordinate workouts, develop the WOD programming based on previous workouts, skills, needs and individual development, study methods and teaching, research to deliver it as best possible, seek additional training ourselves such that we can yet improve more, and try our best to truly engage ourselves in your success. We are committed!

Funny, but get this…we Expect the same out of you! We expect you to be committed to yourself and make yourself better. A better mom, dad, worker, husband, wife, friend, athlete, – frankly a better person. There are a few powerful tools that shape who you are…Culture, Environment, People you hang out with, Actions you take, Acts of God over which you cannot control (yeah, this one can turn your world upside down…funny how God can do that).

CrossFit is a tool that when applied can HELP shape who you become. And, it is a commitment. Let me say that again in all-caps – CROSSFIT IS A COMMITMENT! As such, when you join CrossFit Sioux Falls, we ask for an initial 3-month commitment. Thereafter quit any day you want, no hard feelings, no begging you to stay, maybe a tear because deep down I know you should not quit but no remorse. We move on, we are adults, we treat you with respect.

Why 3 months you may ask? Easy. Things that are worthwhile in life are typically not easy to attain. They take work. They involve “suck”. Patience and persistence are needed to see the reward. There is always room to be better. In your first couple weeks of CrossFit, quitting is the easy WOD. Frankly, your body may not know if you are trying to get in shape or take the fast track to 6 feet below the surface. Will you be sore? Hell yeah…a heck of a lot more sore than 60 minutes on an elliptical. [SIDE NOTE: Did you know, I could elliptical for 60 minutes, watch an entire hour of CNBC Power Lunch, breathe to full conversational capacity the entire time (even yell at the dude next to me with the nice headphones had I needed to, probably the entire time), and still walk out of the gym in that same shirt to a meeting, without ever breaking a sweat. Unreal I know, but thanks Globo for helping me waste 8 years in a "fitness center" to be average on an elliptical]. Now back to the story…

So, here is what commitment may look like for some athletes first coming in to the box. I see/hear/discuss all of these situations with people. These comments are real…

“I am terrified to be here.” “I just want to quit, but know I should try.” “I can’t do any of this stuff right now.” “How do you do a pull-up? And then 99 more?” “What is a SDLHP or a Med Ball Clean?” “Snatch, Clean and Jerk, is this even a gym?” OK, don’t hear that one but you are all smiling right now 

To all that I say…Commit to the Whiteboard! Do not analyze it. Do not fret it. Do not degrade it with “this looks easy”. Do not overthink it or try to be smarter than it. Just commit to it. Every piece of it. Commit to the Whiteboard.

And you know what. You will find you CAN do all of this and do it well if you commit and sacrifice pride for long-term commitment, continuous learning, and monumental gains. This gym will commit to get you to your goals. CrossFit Sioux Falls took a 34 year old de-conditioned person who was ignorant to the methodology and could barely survive a WOD and with dedication provided the means to climb ropes, lift stuff overhead like snatch (yeah your laughing again), shed 40lbs, and be in the best shape in his life – it took 11 months, and a heck of a lot of “just do whatever the hell is on the whiteboard as absolute best and with as much intensity as is physically and mentally possible for myself.” And it worked!

So, let’s wrap this up. Yesterday, I invited all of Sioux Falls into the gym. Today, I am telling you to commit to CrossFit Sioux Falls for 3 months. What you will find is that you really committed to yourself. And if you actually complete 36 CrossFit WODs, I assure you, that alone, regardless of any other gains will bring a great sense of internal pride and accomplishment!

Commit to be better daily! A better YOU.