I’m writing these blogs because much of what we do out on the field translates to everyday life. Even if you don’t get up at 4 a.m. and throw yourself around a football field, you can still learn from some of these lessons. Because sports and training is a very powerful metaphor for life. And this morning had one of the most important lessons yet.
Attitude makes the average amazing.
I’m not a Pollyanna. I don’t see kittens and rainbows when I’m being crapped on. I get mad, depressed, grumpy and sad just like you do. But I’ve figured out that when you’re going through Hell, your positive attitude will get you through it much quicker than if you’re being negative.
For example:
Our next to the last station was Burpees. Stand up. Go down on your hands and kick your feet out. (Some people insert a push-up here), pull your feet back in. Jump for the sky. Repeat.
Who invented the Burpee? I used to think Satan. But according to Wikipedia (the font of knowledge) “The exercise may have been originated by a man named Lieutenant Thomas Burpee (1757-1839). He was an officer in the New Hampshire Militia during the American Revolutionary War and was described as “having the innate Burpee fondness for martial exercises” in A History of the Town of New London, Merrimack County, New Hampshire.”
That bastard.
Anyway, we started on the goal line. From there,we went to the five and did one Burpee. Then we went to the ten and did two. The 15 was three — and so on. We got almost all the way down the football field. And the Burpees were piling up like compound interest. We were up in the 16 range, I think. I lost track.
I’m in good shape. And it hurt.
On the 50, when we were at 10, I started to say to myself, “this sucks.” But something hit me. I started saying ,”I got this. I can do this. Just make each Burpee the best I can.”
Guess what? When I said it sucked, it did. When I said, “I got this,” I did. It still wasn’t fun. But it was easier because I changed my inner-monologue.
What story are you telling yourself? What challenge are you facing where you can say, “I got this. I can do this? Just make this moment the best I can.”
I was very glad when it was over. We went on to a pretty intense core workout. Ihad that, too.
Thomas Burpee, I don’t like you. But I like the lesson your evil creation taught me this morning.