Who Are You In The Gym?

I used to think I had to be the best athlete in the gym.
(That sure didn’t last long!)
In the early days of Catalyst, I loved introducing people to rope climbs and double-unders and gymnastics rings, because those are cool “tricks” we do. Growing up a willing participant (but definitely NOT an athlete,) I was thrilled to be “the guy who can do that stuff.”
Now, of course, hundreds of people in the Sault have learned how to “do that stuff” at Catalyst. I’m no longer “that guy”, and I’m regularly crushed by men and women of all ages in any given workout.
I also used to think I had to be the best coach in my gym. Now I know my role is to deliver the best coaches to our clients, because I simply can’t be there all the time (trust me, I tried–for years. No one wants me coaching every session!)
Who am I at the gym now? The high-fiver, mostly. Dead last, sometimes. My persona has changed, and that makes me happy.
Who are YOU at the gym?
Sara Kent posted this last night, and I was struck HARD by it:
What do I love about Catalyst and working out? The fact that I can go there after an insane day, in a pretty tense mood, and come out feeling amazing. I get Friendly faces, laughs, and great workouts. Amazing support from fellow gym members, and fantastic coaching keep the WOD interesting and push me. I put all that frustration into my workouts and work out all the stress. I can go there and be me. I don’t have to be mom. I don’t have to be a wife. I don’t have to be a teacher. I can just be me. Time for me. And everyone there accepts me for who I am, the way I am, and encourages me on the road to get stronger and see just what I can achieve. Everyone has been or is where I am and we hold each other up. No other gym has ever given me this, and I will never look back. Onwards and upwards!
“I don’t have to be mom. I don’t have to be a wife. I don’t have to be a teacher. I can just be me.”
WOW.
You get to reinvent yourself every day. You get to decide who you want to be.
It’s never occurred to me before, but it’s true. Reinvention is possible. Thanks, Sara!