I Love Crossfit.   Yes, I have gone hook-line-sinker into it.   Frankly, it has changed my life, my strength, my mobility, my diet, and my overall fitness level.    AND yes, I understand and have experienced the  false, inaccurate, and incomplete limitations of this cultish, fadish, over-hyped fitness program…

But I still LOVE it.   My body yearns for it (about 3 mornings of 4).   I don’t set an alarm, and my body says it is time to get up and move every morning around 5:30.

So, why am I touting my love affair with this sport, uhhhh, gym class, uhhhh, Seal sponsored/military created, uhhhh, biggest loser, Rebock supported, lastest fitness trend, (yup, I am just a main-stream fad robot) workout program  on my leadership blog.

Because it is a metaphor for life and most assuredly leadership.

Life is tough.   Leadership is tough.   Crossfit is tough.

When I arrive at the gym, I never know what the workout (WOD – workout of the day) is going to be, and then I look up on the board to see it and it ALWAYS sucks  undoable.   My initial thoughts are “How can I get out of this? How can I cheat to make it easier (New England Patriot’s style)?  Why am I here?  and most often heard, it is NOT fair!  (teenage answer of choice)

And yet, I do it.   Sometimes I do it well, and sometimes I slog through it.   But, I invariably do it.   I leave the sweat and doubt on the floor and walk away with an immense sense of accomplishment and pride.

So, isn’t that leadership.   We walk into our “organization” and constantly face challenges that we’d rather avoid than confront.   Leadership is surely attacking that which isn’t working and realigning what we are doing with what we should be doing.    Then, when it is done, we feel an immense sense of accomplishment and pride.    Is there anything more meaningful than realigning actions with purpose?

In metaphor in our own lives, we are either living or dying every minute.   Living comes from growth and that comes from leaning into discomfort and facing that which is blocking, limiting, or preventing us from our true integrity.    Dying comes from stagnation and atrophy which is avoiding the truth of who we are…

Crossfit forces me to face discomfort and face my truth.

Every morning it says to me “Good Morning, Get-up, Fight for your Truth, and move toward the Rest of Your Life!”

Blessings