An Open Letter To My CrossFit Coaches
Lindsey and Aaron,
I can’t thank you enough for being my “Sherpa” over the past year. As I reflect on my time at Smallville Athletics, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the lessons and experiences I have had. Not to mention the incredible relationships that I have developed. Nearly a year ago, I walked into your facility hungry for change, and now, I prepare to leave as an entirely different person.
As far back as I can remember, I have had a fire inside me burning for something more. I’ve always wanted more. To do more and to be more. Yet, despite my numerous accomplishments, willingness to work hard, and my love for a challenge, somewhere along the way, I lost touch with myself and became more worried about what others thought of me than what I thought of myself. I became more concerned about the grade than the learning and I began to make excuses for my procrastination and my mediocrity. Although, I knew deep down that I wasn’t the person I wanted to be. Then suddenly I was presented with the opportunity to become the best version of myself. After an insane life-altering experience and listening to Tony Robbins say that I am a reflection of the standards I hold for myself, I finally woke up and made the best decision of my life that led to me in your gym. This decision not only defined my senior year of college but also contributed to the creation of my senior capstone project and now influences my outlook on life and leadership.
Here are a few of the lessons I have learned from you that I will carry with me forever:
Lesson 1: Fitness, like leadership, is a choice
I frequently tell the student leaders I work with that leadership is a choice and that no one can put leadership into you. You have to wake up every day and fight to be a leader. The same is also true for fitness. In a world full of excuses, there’s no denying that energy flows where attention goes. If we have time to scroll through Facebook and munch on potato chips, we also have time to read a book and go for a run or yes, even work on mobility. The secret lies in turning our wants into have to’s.
Lesson 2: Control the controllables
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I wholeheartedly believe that the most difficult obstacle a leader will face is leading themself. While we will run into other obstacles along our leadership journey, the act of leading ourselves will always remain problematic as we contemplate our decisions, interact with others, and battle both internal and external conflict. However, you have taught me through fitness that we can lessen the challenge of leading ourselves by learning to control the controllables. This includes controlling our attitude, effort, and action. While I’ve come to understand that the echo bike rewards maximum effort, so does life. What you get out of anything is what you put into it. I’ve also learned that by daring to take action and moving forward regardless of any initial fear or uncertainty, I can do hard things. Things that I thought were impossible like front rack lunges and GHD situps. I’ve also learned that even when I’m terrified of a WOD or I’m struggling to drag myself out of bed in the morning by remaining optimistic and positive, I will come out on the other side feeling alive and accomplished. In fact, the days when I don’t want to do it are the days when I need it most.
Lesson 3: Get comfortable being uncomfortable
One of my favorite quotes from Les Brown is: “The graveyard is the richest place on earth because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determined to carry out their dream.” I reflect on this quote very frequently as I battle my own fears or feelings of inadequacy. However, I’m quickly sobered when I recognize that we all feel this way, but some people don’t allow it to weigh them down. Rather than choosing to be a victim of fear, they have chosen to be a victor by learning to get comfortable being uncomfortable. CrossFit has also reinforced this lesson for me. It was terrifying to join a class without any athletic experience whatsoever. It was ego-crushing to use a plastic training bar but by leaning into the discomfort and trusting the process, I was able to learn, grow, and become a better version of myself.
Lesson 4: Be Vulnerable and most importantly: coachable
Until recent years and Brene Brown’s book Dare to Lead, vulnerability was seen as a weakness, rather than a strength. This is largely due to our individualistic culture that has taught us that we must conceal anything and everything that has the potential to make us appear weak or less than.
Naturally, this has led many to avoid situations where they can potentially be criticized or fully seen for who they are. As a beginner in your class, I had to be vulnerable and willing to be fully seen. There was no pretending or hoping. I had to do the work. I had to live, feel, and endure every single challenge I encountered. I also had to allow myself to be called out and coached. There’s no denying that some days were harder than others, but every day, I left knowing that because I was vulnerable and coachable in the gym, I could handle anything that life threw at me. From performance appraisals to trying something new, I now battle fear and challenge with vulnerability.
While each of these lessons will greatly influence my life and leadership, I can’t thank you enough for welcoming me into your facility, challenging me, supporting me, and ultimately, changing me. As I look back, I know that I will never be the same and I’m so thankful for that. Thank you for everything!
Once a Smallville Athlete. Always a Smallville Athlete.
Respectfully,
Dominica Chavez
