Sometimes, when encouraging clients and athletes to jump to the next fitness level, I challenge them to take an outdoor hobby they enjoy, and master it. Learn about it. Buy the stuff. Practice subtleties and facets. Go all in, instead of being "Joe Shmoe". "Don't just be someone who hikes/skis/runs, become a hiker/skier/runner," I tell them. Something changes when one wills themselves to the mastery of an activity. In becoming the student of a sport, a person's level of skill and fitness soar to new heights. Passion increases. Passion drives motivation. Motivation drives results. While the personification of an activity and all that comes with it can be overall positive, it is important to check in with ourselves frequently. How deep does the root of the obsession go? Who are we without this? BECOMING a cyclist, weightlifter, etc. does not mean becoming a one-dimensional human. Injuries and setbacks always occur on the journey of mastery. If a person's universe is only this new fixation.. depression, anxiety, and frustration are sure to follow when these inevitable misfortunes occur. This is a great time to revisit other passions; sometimes those in a totally different realm of activity. It is not uncommon in the life-cycle of the athlete, fresh after this new awakening of self, to tie their entire being to a result: a 24 minute 5k, finishing a 100 mile bike ride, bench pressing 225 pounds. Placing pressure on yourself is one thing, losing sleep for a week prior to your "big test" is another. If the feeling of "but what happens if I don't make it?" is rattling around, it might be time to check your perspective. After a certain level of mastery, the ego begins to truly reveal itself. I've DNF'd (Did Not Finish) a lot of races. Every single one revolved around my ego, in just about every way. I have: -showed up to races having barely trained because "I've finished XYZ, so this race should be easy", and had my ass handed to me on a silver platter. -been injured during a race due to lack of preparation. -toed the line thinking I was going to be competitive, just to find that I wasn't in the same zip code, bailing because my fragile ego couldn't handle stumbling in at a level I thought was less than it should be. Lame. It's not all bad, though. In this new world of "self love"and "self care", where people become satisfied with simply existing, ego can be a helpful elbow to the ribs, pulling a person out of their own version of mediocrity. Allowing ego to be a driver of motivation can be a great thing. Having it drive your life however, is another. I'll leave you with a famous quote from Tyler Durden, from Fight Club: "You're not your fucking khakis" Now, go outside! -krp
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