“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” - Marcus Aurelius

Life is a simple game, we are born, raised: albeit some with better conditions than others, we grow old, and we die - many of us leaving children as our legacy behind. Now, if you’re thinking, “this seems like a freakin’ heavy topic for a fitness company” - you’re right; but here’s why it matters. Understanding your long term goals, how to become a better person overall, and thinking of your legacy, will change your patterns and take on fitness. In the beginning of training, many of us chose to become more healthy because we want to look better. Others chose to start getting his or her fitness together to keep up with the rigors of life, or because of the realisation that his or her obesity may cause illness, potentially shortening valuable time on this Earth. Even fewer of us, are training for optimal performance and sport. What is important to note, is that there is an underlying factor to all three of these prongs. That factor, is self betterment.

In our time on Earth, we will run into trials, tribulations, and adversity. Just the other day, I had someone who I hold in high regard say to me, “I really like being in control and it's pushing me to be okay with chaos for a bit.” - needless to say, this brought a huge smile to my face. This person is facing adversity and overcoming it. If anything should be expected in life, it is the unexpected and adversity. What my nameless friend is going through may seem like a setback, but what it is, is an opportunity helping him build strength while facing the unknown.

So where does training come in when looking at the big picture that is life? Training is literally adding stressors to your body, your mind, and during ‘Fran”, your spirit. Training, in my opinion is step one to overall self betterment and control in life. It is a way for us to whittle ourselves down to our best form, take control day by day and show the world our dedication to self betterment. When starting training, we constantly battle adversity, self doubt and then something amazing happens. We become consistent, we feel better, we strive for better lifts, better body composition, and even more crazy, we start looking at daunting workouts on the board and mutter things like, “bring it”.

This is a phenomenal mental change I have been privileged to watch in a large amount of people in my years of CrossFit, and coaching. I’ve watched people go from walking through workouts because his or her heart rate has increased, to sprinting until they collapse. From being late to classes and leaving workouts early, to staying late and asking to work on skills. Refusing to eat well, to asking for nutrition advice and even working with nutrition coaches. This is the power of the process my friends, and this is the power of self betterment.

The important thing that needs to be realized, and the point of this article, is that you did this. YOU worked hard, and YOU changed. As a coach, I put together workouts, I give advice, and I share the knowledge I’ve accrued with you. However, I don’t lift the spoon to your mouth, move the barbell for you, or work on your skills. You do. So my question is, why can’t this be applied to all facets of your life? If you’re stuck in a rut, look at what you’ve accomplished so far in training. You started to take control, and you changed things slowly, over time. The same thing can be said for cleanliness, relationships, and finances. Nothing will ever change for you in an instant, and if you don’t start ‘training’, nothing will change at all. Don’t be afraid to get dirty, to work hard, and never become too big for the little tasks. Your life is still out in front of you, the only person who chooses how it is lived, is you - just like when you read that whiteboard, start saying "bring it" when shit hits the fan.