WOD
3 Rounds for time:
100 Meter Sprint,
10 Front Squats*,
75 Double-Unders.
2 Minutes Rest Between Rounds
* AHAP As heavy as possible without
breaking the set or breaking down in form.
Tuesday Night Musings by Coach Alecio.
Focusing on the “Right Now”.
Focusing on the “Right Now”.
I have been a competitive athlete for over 30 years, where half of those years were spent playing soccer, followed by triathlons at all distances, and then CrossFit. And I know, without a doubt, that I never reached my true potential during my years as a soccer player because I was scared of failing and cared to much about the score. That said – I was an excellent practice player but that meant I was someone who produced great results in practice but never really replicated that same brilliance in games.
You see, in practice I just played, nothing was on the line, and I was willing to take chances. It didn’t really matter what the score was because in practice I was focused on playing well, having fun and working hard. These were all things that were within my control. Yet, when game day rolled around, then my focus would shift: 1. to winning; 2. not losing my starting spot; and 3. playing a perfect game. These were things that were definitely not in my control. You can probably see what the problem was. I needed to play my game and not care about the outcome. But who trains for something for a long time and doesn’t want to win? The answer is no one.
Then I started CrossFit, and I think over the last few years, I have finally been able to understand what it means to not care about the outcome, and because of that, I have obtained greater results and been able to better demonstrate my true or full potential.
Now, in saying that I do not care about the outcome, does not mean that I don’t want to win, or that I (or anyone else) can’t want to get the new job, or be the top score in the Wod. Rather, it’s about putting your focus on the things that need your attention right now and not only focusing on the outcome. You need to focus on the things you can control. If your focus is only on the outcome (where it was for me during my soccer career), then you aren’t able to do all the things you need to do come game day. Not caring means you need to focus on the “right now”, not the “and then”. The “and then” focuses on the future, and there are a bunch of variables that affect the outcome and many of them you will have zero control over.
So put 100% of your focus into your “right now” or things that you can control (i.e. the next pass you have to make, the one rep you have to do, the one interview question you need to answer, or the next double-under you need to make). Things that are in your control in the moment are the “right now” and are all that matter. A single focus. This is where you should compete and if you can do this – it is where you will be the most successful.
Put your energies and your attention into the “right now” and by focusing on it – I believe it will allow you to give your best effort and will hopefully help you accept the outcome – whatever it may be!
Thanks for reading!
Sincerely,
Coach Alecio
