How we handle challenges says a lot about how strong we are. We have all been faced with many kinds of challenges in our lives at some point. Some have been big while others have been small. They can be far and few between or seem like they just keep coming. Other times, we get sucker punched. Either way, we have to be ready to handle them when they come our way. They can present themselves in a variety of ways such as an unexpected change in employment, an illness or injury, or a loss of a loved one. They can also take the form of a planned change like planning a wedding, awaiting the birth of a baby, or sending your child off to college. What we do and how we handle things makes all the difference in our everyday lives. Do we ignore what comes our way and pretend as though it never happened or do we face it head on and try to solve it?
Ignoring a challenge that comes your way only prolongs the inevitable. At some point you will need to face it and deal with it. This is no different then when you are faced with a WOD where the movements might be difficult for you. Do you turn around and walk out the door or do you stay and find a way to work through it? I know you all said, “We stay!” We scale. We modify. We finish the WOD. That’s what we do. It’s no different in life. We need to figure out how to scale the challenges into smaller more manageable chunks and work through each piece until we get to the light at the end of the tunnel and meet our goal.
Challengers, you have all decided to face a “Transformation” challenge head on!! All of you have taken on a challenge (some for 6 weeks and others for 12 weeks) that you set out to conquer. You ran toward it instead of running from it. For whatever reason, you set the wheels in motion to aim for a healthier, stronger life. You didn’t wait for it to find you. You have small manageable chunks in the form of weeks to get to your goal. You take each day of each week and make healthy food choices, workout, and get a good night’s sleep. This is not an easy endeavor but you are doing it. You picked the most difficult time of year, the holiday season, to show your strength and determination to see this through. You didn’t make excuses. You went for it. Kudos to you all for what you are accomplishing and for deciding to live a healthier, stronger life.
There is no challenge out there that comes your way that cannot be conquered with determination and strength. Make a plan and stick to it. Chip away each day until you have reached the outcome you were striving for. I always tell my son, “Small steps make great strides.” As long as you are taking the steps, you are moving toward your goal and conquering whatever challenges lay ahead. Never give up!
