What Is Balance?
Over the years, I have seen many athletes start off blazing hot and then at some point crash out due to not feeling fulfilled around other areas in their lives. What I have noticed through working with thousands of people is that humans have this urge to go “all in.” However, they often, in my opinion, misunderstand that terminology. Going “all in,” doesn’t mean drop everything in your life for this one thing. Going “all in” means doing everything you can to be successful in your endeavor. Now, I know those too sound the same, yet they are in fact different. Allow me to explain…
Going “all in” means you fully understand your goal. You understand what it’s going to take and cost you, and you accept that because you are passionate about achieving your goal. If your goal is to improve in the sport of CrossFit, then you will seek out the right training, get the proper coach, eat well for performance and your goals, focus on your sleep, get optimal recovery, stop hanging out late and drinking alcohol etc. You will do the right things that will add up to allow yourself to be successful.
However, what I often see is that people who burn out do not have a sound understanding of what their priorities are in all of life, and they, in turn, close EVERYTHING off. When you shut everything off, you will at some point regret your decision and then run from what you want to do to fulfill what you left out on. For instance, my priorities are my family, my training, and my business. Now, if I go all in on my business and neglect my family and my training, then I will still feel unfulfilled and learn to regret my business, thus pushing me away from it.
So, for athletes to have proper balance, they need to understand the counters to their actions and what fills their cup. Once you have a good understanding of this, you will be able to schedule out your days/times to put back into the cups that are running on empty, thus creating more balance and fulfillment in your life. In turn, this will give you even more focus to put back into what you are passionate about!
