I run. I run because I am too impatient to walk. Walking takes up time I do not have. So I run. I run hard. I run fast. I run like someone or something is chasing me. There is–my run from yesterday.
All this running causes minor challenges. Inflexibility has to be the absolute worst–but I run through it. The inflexibility has caught up to me in my world of Cross-fit. I cannot outrun it here. My ankles will not allow me to squat low, my hip flexors limit explosive power needed to move heavier weight, and my back–well my back infects my shoulder mobility and my neck mobility.
I get frustrated. I lift. I lift heavy for a regular girl. Lifting weight is the equivalent to sitting across from a counselor and detailing the horrors of my heart. I believe in good counseling–I believe in a heavy, loaded bar. It is the cure for the end of a bad day and the sweet vitamin for the start of an amazing day. I started using cross-fit to help me adjust after going through a divorce. I was angry. Cross-fit helped.
One day I woke up and I could not move my neck. I strained my neck in my sleep. Obviously, my spine was already misaligned and it was the perfect storm. The coaches at they gym jokingly warned me one day I was going to pop–just break in half. It happened and I kept working out through the pain but now the coaches put their foot down (so to speak)–and it changed my gym life.
In real life (as if gym life is fake), I am a mentor, I am a business coach, and a voice of leadership. I understand the urgency of wisdom every person on the planet needs in order to navigate their world. Coaches bring a level of wisdom to us so the ‘spine’ or the backbone to our lives does not move out of place. Sidelining us. Keeping us from getting in the game. Three real ways coaches, mentors, and leaders help us do life–seriously DO life to the point of thriving.
This June will be my third year doing cross-fit. Last week my coach made take all the weight off my bar and just practice a movement. What we found out–for three years I have been doing this completely wrong. Talk about adding insult to injury. The hardest part about relearning a new habit is relearning a new habit. For three years I have developed a muscle memory and now I am having to start over from scratch.
Coaches, redirect your abnormal. A good coach will reverse engineer your methods to find the weaknesses. Once the weakness is discovered they begin to exploit them–aggravating you to redirection. For any change to begin you must be aggravated past being uncomfortable. For some people pain is not enough for them to seek out change. Rather a ‘seer’ of methods and protocols has to borderline shame them into an aggravation which turns into the great ‘Aha’ moment.
I heard the bells go off. Something clicked in my brain. I could see clearly now what I was doing was doing me more harm than good. Not because of the pain–but because I was not efficient in the movement. Some of the greatest people I know can endure high levels of pain but their progress is nonexistent because they are going in the wrong direction. Coaches correct wrong way traveling by exploiting an abnormality you just cannot see is abnormal.
There is now a shift of weight load. Until I can reimagine and conquer the correct form, I cannot lift the same weight. Something clicked inside of me. On the one hand, I am having to start over. On the other hand, my fresh start is not going to take as long as an all out recovery because I injured myself to the point of surgery. I am going to win big in the end. I can see the end because my normal has been redefined.
I was at my threshold. On the old path, I was only going to be able to add five more pounds–that is it. Now, I am going to be able to add at least thirty. My output percentages are powerfully charged because of coaching. Having me to start over, and scrap my old mindset– I actually get a second chance.
You actually do get a second chance to make first impressions. Coaching will take old ideas, reengineer them, highlighting new value appraised highly by new audiences. The leadership in your life should be challenging your standards, expectation, and potential on a consistent basis. Your definition of normal should be written in pencil. Your definition of normal should never hit a ceiling. Your normal by definition should be abnormal by standards of the industries you show up in.
Coaching redefines your potential. You have no idea (you think you do) of how big your potential, purpose, and promise really is. Sometimes you cannot see the forest because of the trees. Coaches can see the ability in you is great enough conquer what is ahead of you. Coaches change you.
Coaching Changes Champions
You are great. What is in you is in you. What you have added to the world around you is priceless. Without your voice we would be void of valuable knowledge. You are a champion. The question that begs to be asked–can you champion more? Can you expand more, explore more…be more?
You can. Let me help you. Finding a mentor, coach, or someone wiser and more experienced does not take away any your power. In fact, it makes you more powerful. Wisdom is power. The ability to admit you do not have all the answers is one of the most powerful moves you can make. The ability to openly admire the strength of another makes you more admirable.
Coaching takes you into the next level of champion. When you discover there is no end you begin to leave legacy footprints. Next level champion expands your vision beyond immediate perceived successes. Vision to see the vast universes of undiscovered territory yet to be explored while you are on this side of heaven.
Kudos to all the coaches, teachers, mentors, leaders and wisdom carriers–and to the people who listen to them.
Growing Bright Ideas 