CROSS-fit #64 Burdens

Walking past those doors...
Everyone has them, hanging loose on themselves.
Their mind, body and spirit is simply weighed down by it.
And no, they don't need you to add to it.
Burdens...

Maybe your exam didn't go too well.
Maybe your kid just wasn't the best behaved in school.
Or maybe sh*t just happened in the office and you got messed for it...
Whatever it is, we all walk through those doors with some sort of care in our heads.
Everyone does....

So really, we're all here for the same reason aren't we?
To release our mind, get a hold of our lives.
To recreate ourselves in a strange sense by making our bodies feel...
Don't come in thinking that you deserve respect.
No, in fact, you don't. Cause everyone else has their own rights.
Come in and enjoy the community.
You're always welcome to be a part of this recreation.
But if you're going to throw your weight around demanding stuff, then sorry, not the place for you.

Though rough and tough...
Really, crossfitters are more in touch with themselves compared to most people I know.
They know their weaknesses like the back of their palm.
They know their strengths by the pain that exploits it.
They learn about themselves and the burdens that they face when they actually do something impossible.
So come with the burdens, and be real about it...
Cause everyone in the box is...

The season where you question..

Yupp, it happens once every semester. Yes it does...

The big question, the most important one to be exact.

WHY ARE YOU STUDYING!?

Why are we buried underneath our books and not pursuing our dreams? Whatever that may be...

Coming soon is the "Audio Mob", the event to spark the dreams and goals of every individual aspiring for anything great out there.

However, come to think of it, how many of us are actually living that out?

This time, the onset of such questions came about after reading this article and truly, reflecting upon it....

http://kentridgecommon.com/?p=13441

What is it?

Either way, it's sad cause you can't stop now...

You can't just let it all go right? Sunk cost and all makes sense but you just won't forgo everything to live life.

So really, let's think again, at this mid point.

What is it you are doing in life?

And is it really what you want to do? Is this something true to your cause?

One of my fellow classmates whom I'd like to think I've gotten alot closer to this semester recently told me.

"I've left the world of academics during the recess week, didn't do much mugging.

Haven't been going to many lectures, I'm surely falling behind in standards.

Probably going to drop my double degree program.

Haven't been visiting the ISE lab too often as well, instead, have been outside.

Going about my own business and trying to change the World.

I've been helping orphans in India.

Why? Cause I want to...

There's no undermining reason, I just want to... "

I won't even begin to explain and encourage you to comprehend what he really said.

We all want to live for our dreams, planning projects, planning events for the World.

Sorry but MAN! We're the salt and light of the World but everything we do...

AND I MEAN EVERYTHING...

Has so underlying factor driving us.

Take a moment, pause and think for a second... Are you really doing this for yourself? Or for?

If so, you really need to re-evaluate yourself.

People aren't just numbers, souls aren't just figures, grades are...

Grades are just alphabets.

I'm not measured by them, so why live for them?

CROSS-fit #63

I'm sure it's happened to you on one or two occasions.
Times where you sit down, get your mind to it and say that yeah, I wanna change.
Sometimes you find motivations from all sources to do so.
To motivate whatever decision you're making.
You try to get resolve from all corners of society. From your friends, from the net, from books.
I've had such resolves, many of them in fact.

I was inspired by what Mikko Salo said, to never lie on your back after a Workout.
It represents surrender, defeat, cause that's what animals do when they give up.
However, thinking about it now, have I laid on my back after the WOD?
Many many times, my body just collapses and I gasp for air.
My mind just wasn't strong enough to obey such a decision.
As simple as it sounds, it's real, it's true. Even in the simplest of points.
Do we say things just for the sake of saying them? Or do we mean them at all?
Would we wanna put effort to seeing that choice through?

When you say you wanna do it. DO IT.
You may flail once or twice, stumble here and there.
But really, you don't need external motivations.
You just need a real, convicted, decision to change.
For yourself, for God, for others?
It doesn't matter, what matters is that you actually decide to do so.
I've made a decision and I'm gonna stick to it at all cost.
It rips me deep down inside sometimes...
But hey, it's supposed to, no hard choice is ever easy. It's a mere contradiction.
So come on, get your mind in. Get your head in and stick to it.
I did, it may suck initially, but embrace the suck, better things are yet to come!

CROSS-fit #62 The Life

What's necessary for you to live a good life?

What's really required to be successful, fulfilled and basically Happy?

What constitutes the meaning of love, joy, Faith, excitement and adventure?

The definitions are many, the dictionary isn't the most reliable resource of such words.

I guess it doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell you that these are felt, these are motivated not by mere words or knowledge of right and wrong.

They're motivated from the Heart.

I suppose that it isn't the easiest and prettiest way to put it but...

We all are entitled to feel the way we do.

The worst thing to do is to take away that right to feel and give it away to someone else.

You're allowed to feel sad, happy. You're allowed to fall in love and out of it.

What matter is what you do with them. Even still....

Don't let another, don't let your past dictate how you feel and what you'll do.

God gave you your free will, don't give it to someone else. Or worst still, don't take it from another.

We all are inter connected with our friends, family, our boxes, our churches, but don't let it control you.

Have control with regards to how you feel, you act.

Just like the bar controlling you during the workout, don't let in get a hold of you.

Gosh, get control of it!

Hold it tight with upright active shoulders. Not with a slumping back.....

So get a hold of how you wanna be in life.

Feel how you wanna feel and don't run away from it Damnit!

Don't deny something just cause you think it shouldn't be the case...

We're all allowed to make mistakes. Even if they're dumb ones out of the blue.

Even Peter tried to walk on water, which was honestly dumb to a certain extent.

But WHAO he actually did something others said was dumb....

Call me Dumb and I'll prove you wrong...

So live your life, try and fail and try again!

Just like Pastor Kong said just last night....

"Lets be people, whom, if fail, at least fail daring greatly." - T Roosevelt

So stick your head out there and let it all out...

CROSS-fit #61 The small, big difference

I suppose it's in the era that we live in, the whole Globalization idea.
Where we focus so much on the big, we focus so much on well, looking to the future.
Of course that's a given. We all do need these kind of aspiration to drive ourselves and society in general.
We love the fact that Crossfit is dynamic, ever changing, to suit the needs of every individual.
It makes it even more productive and causes us to be more adaptable to change.
We do the strangest and weirdest of movements which aren't the easiest to accomplish.
However, are we getting too big such that we overlook the simple stuff, the basic stuff?
That we, as strong individuals ought to help another whom is struggling in life.

It's likely the affluence in society that has caused us to stray from 'Compassion'.
The genuine kind which has no strings attached to it.
The kind which dreams of things to simply brighten up anothers day.
Well, if there's one thing which we can do, it's this...

Operation Broken Wing. To be able to help and give kids who have nothing left, nothing at all.

We give them a second chance in life.

Really, I have to admit that youths in our generation want to help create change in the strangest most dynamic of ways, but sometimes, you don't need that.

You just need a sincere heart, willing body and a great idea.

When have we become so fixated on satisfying our own needs.

It's said in the word that, "You have been faithful over a few things, I will put you in charge of many things".

All that we have, are really, the simple small easy things in our hands.

We don't have much, really.

But what you do with it is what counts, whether you stand aside, moisturize them, tantalize them nice polish or other cosmetics, or would you really get it down and dirty, scarred and bruised helping and brightening the days of others?

Here's how, realistically, the smallest most basic items, traits, talents can really make a big, huge, impactful difference.

CROSS-fit #60 9/11

On this day 10 years ago, the World and all it's beliefs were shaken.
Fear was rampant, and the word 'Terror' became real to everyone amongst us.
However, take a moment and let's think about it.
We look back and see destruction, we look back and see sadness and loss and what have you.
It's been 10 long years, 10 years since that fateful day.
And really, do we really feel the hurt anymore? Or is it just another figment of our imagination?
We've moved on, we've lived better lives, we've grown, we've found better days.
After a long decade of it, the States have been resilient and true enough, they've hung on through the heat.

Even for everyone out there, those whom have lost, hurt, been hurt, scarred for life.
There's simply no use living in the past.
Everyone has looked ahead, year after year, it truly has been a pain.
But contrary to popular belief, our wounds do heal.

Walking through those open doors of the box.
Leave everything behind, leave your past achievements, leave your failures, leave your hurts.
It won't matter inside, nobody is going to dig it up and rub it in.
It doesn't matter cause when Coach shout out "3,2,1, GO!" Everything before that doesn't matter.
The real significance is now.
Look at yourself, NOW. Not who you were before, or who you were when 9/11 actually happened.
Be willing and daring to look at yourself and measure yourself now.

I've hurt people before, I've been hurt before.
Made some real dumb mistakes in life, some good, some bad. All necessary.
I've succeeded in big dreams before, champed many, trophies weren't foreign.
I was always attuned to success and glamour but never really learnt my lesson.
However, people do change don't they? They do change for the better.
Cause that's the only way to go.
So would you forget what's happened before and live with the now?
Thousands, millions have.

CROSS-fit #59 What is it?

Being thrown into a new environment, being treated with something so foreign.
Many hate it, they just wanna remain in their comfort zone.
Where it's in their turf, their side of the fence, their hood and nobody messes with them.
However, at times, we move out, we go explore, we challenge.
Honestly speaking, I don't favor it at all, no one bit.
But I guess it's something we all have to go through.
Going to check out another box, working out over there and learning something new each time.
I'm surprised by the experience over at a totally different box.
The community, the culture and even the spirit of Crossfit differs from place to place.

But really, when it all boils down, aren't we ALL crossfitters?

Crossfit Fire City

Does it really matter which box is written on our backs?
Whom we represent all the time?
Yeah, so what gives??
We belong to another denomination, another community altogether.
But aren't we all still one body?

So why the need to dominate and pillage??
There's none at all, NONE.
One of the key factors in crossfit is that the "fun is in the community".
Let's keep it that way, not just in the box but also in our lives.
Don't let your ego get in the way.
Don't let so called 'pride' for your own territory come between you and another.
If we do, we're no less than childish gangsters out to kill each other just cause we're 5 blocks away.
So give them a chance, whoever that may be.
Take that risk and allow them in...

CROSS-fit #58 Softer Side

Crashing, Loud, Extravagant, Proud, Unashamed, King-Of-The-World.
That pretty much describes how Crossfitters behave.
Don't really care much about what others or the World think.
Join us or well, stand by the sidelines and keep quiet.
We walk with our heads lifted high, chest propped up (Naturally) and with a shirt which says...
"Alpha Male" Or "Fit like F***" printed in bold behind, don't think many wanna mess with us.

We all get caught up with the crossfit mentality and it's all good.
It produces some great community, comrade spirit and expels much negativity
But this is just in fitness, maybe it's not just in crossfit but in everywhere else.
Where you're just king of it all, you're great...
You're the leader of everyone else and you could easily walk over people.
Insist that you command their respect.
Nobody eats before you, you expect people to wait when it gets late.
You get your way, period.
The King Pin.

Being so sometimes is great, but don't forget... That softer side you need to have.
The softer side which engages those outside the community.
Open arms which welcome feedback and criticisms (Of course if it's Bullshit, you're getting it).
That part of you which makes you go down to their level, to encourage them bring them up to yours.
Coach K once said that any great athlete has 2 things, Discipline and Humility.
Thing is, nobody says you can't be soft without having some spunk in it.
Have that, and you'll naturally attract people, a magnet.
So get off that high podium, get down and get dirty.

CROSS-fit #57 They are around

In the beginning, God created Adam, he then created Eve cause he knew Adam needed her...
From the start, it's simple...
We need to have people around. We just do...
Some people may aggravate you, irritate the hell outta you, encourage you, lift you up...
Or some just don't do anything at all, but their presence makes a differnece.

They're essential, they are all around us but at certain times, we just need to appreciate them.
In the middle of a workout and you just can't move anymore.
You just keep failing that Muscle Up again and again. Your muscles are just too fatigued.
Your friends can keep shouting at you, giving you cues but yeah, you just can't do on anymore.
You're really at your utter limits and sadly, there's just nothing you can do about it.
Sucks doesn't it? When you just can't do anything, feel so helpless and just kneel to pray.

I guess maybe it's just me? But I guess it's to everyone as well.
That yeah, you need that company around...
To tell you that, it's okay.
To assure you that at the end of it all, it's okay, I'll still love you, I'll still give you a hug.
As superficial as it sounds, these little deeds, those hugs and words, do make a World of a difference.
Your difference matters to me.
So keep having those people around.
Or be those people to others.
Even to those you never felt like you needed to.

It probably doesn't do anything to your physical well being.
Whatever they say will probably not help in your situation in any ridiculous way.
But it heals your heart, it heals your soul.
And it gets you to smile again.

CROSS-fit #56 8 minutes

They say that life lessons are best learnt over time..
It takes a while for a habit, a lifestyle to sink into a persons mentality and personality.
However, sometimes it doesn't take much.
It doesn't take too long to be smacked right in the face and be told that you need to change!

Sometimes it just takes an alternating Tabata workout.
It just takes 8 simple minutes of work, pain, torture, prayer, meditation, focus.
8 minutes is all it takes sometimes to know who you are.
To know what you're good at, know what you're terrible at.
Better yet, it just takes 8 minutes to explain to yourself, what you need to do from now on.

It is true, in that extreme moments of rush and circumstance.
You learn more about yourself than ever before.
In trials, in life, you will learn about it in these times.
Not when everything is going smoothly and there's no wave whatsoever.
There's always a bright side to things.
There always is, so don't stop hoping and always take that 8 minutes in good stride.
Whatever those 8 minutes may be, it may even be 8 months for that matter...
But really, let it be the best 8 minutes and not the worst.
You determine after all, you determine whether it's good or bad.
All a perception...