Mental Minute : What is in our control?

In the zone at the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games, Madison, WI.

Focus on What You Can Control

What do we really have control over in our lives?

On the most basic level there are actually only a few things:

Our breath.

Our thoughts. 

Our actions.

Our words.

It’s easy to spend too much energy on things we have no control over. We let them get in the way of our happiness, of achieving goals or being successful. Things like; genetics, social media gossip, traffic, the weather, not liking the workout of the day.  We respond negatively when they come up and we spend a lot of energy worrying about how they will affect us. When, in actuality, if we just let them go and focus on what we do have control over, then that other stuff will not affect us or stop us from reaching our goals.

Like Ben Bergeron says: “as athletes, there are only five things that we can truly control—our training, nutrition, sleep, recovery, and mindset. If it doesn’t fall into one of those categories, forget about it. Control the things you can control and ignore everything else.”

Spend your focus and energy on the things you can control. 

Thrusters and Burpees are going to show up in the same WOD. Someone is going to take your favorite barbell or steal your pull-up bar. The rowers will fill up and you will have to get on that dang assault bike.  It's bound to happen. What IS in your control is how you react.

Don’t focus on things you can’t change or control. If you don’t like something, take away it’s only power; your attention. Focus only on the things you can control.

Move on, keep working! Don't waste precious energy on frustration. Use it instead for crushing your goals! Let's get it!!