Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Fear is the Mind Killer.




Practice. Practice being uncomfortable. Practice being out of your comfort range. Find the greatest level of intolerability that you can tolerate, and stay there.
Your Crossfit practice sets you up for this kind of "suffering" training every day. Believe it or not, being uncomfortable can be made to be more comfortable. If you are afraid of speaking (or singing--Georgia is not afraid) in public for example, it turns out that if you habituate yourself to the physical discomfort that makes this kind of task so unpalatable, it will become far easier the next time you do it. Ask Georgia when she's the new Fergie. She'll say she was singing naked in front of strangers for years.

When people have horrific vertigo, or become horribly motion sick, the standard treatment is to have that person experience those ugly feelings to the point where they can no longer tolerate it. Then, we have them do it again until finally there is change.

Having a tough discussion with a boss, taking a big exam, giving a huge report is NOT harder than a Crossfit workout. The practice of getting comfortable with being uncomfortable is built in as a Crossfit "freebee". We'll turn you into mental monsters as a simple side effect to our training.

So, in the new year, get ready to tackle the items in your life that make you feel a little afraid. It turns out that with the right training (Crossfit), you will face your fears, they will pass through you and over you, and only you will remain.


Be Great this next year. Become a titan of a human being. Practice exceeding your own expectations.

Coach K

5 comments:

thebellgirl said...

Happy New Year! And thanks for the introduction to FGB--and the encouragement. Next time I'll crush that 15-year-old rower.

E

Anonymous said...

Good topic- actually was just reading an article today about chronic pain and the treatment method called "exposure" which is basically the same idea that you're talking about here. What can I say KStar...You're so cutting edge.

-Kitty

Anonymous said...

hey--good article. Warning: blogger is likely to cancel your blog if they see this pic. for reals.

Anonymous said...

Any Dune quote is good enough for me.

Anonymous said...

Lex, my sentiments exactly.