Who’s on Your Team?
Photo Credit: Eric Masour
In January I joined a gym (doesn’t everyone?!) as I’d realized over the holidays that I wanted to get serious about my level of fitness. I checked out a few places and chose one that fits my preference for style of workouts, is conveniently located and has hours that match my schedule. However, the biggest plus after all the logistics is definitely the human factor.
The people running the place greeted me warmly and made sure I knew how things worked so I could seamlessly join a class. They explained and then demonstrated the exercises clearly so we could have a strong technique as a foundation and they set clear expectations for goals that were reasonable for the athletes’ varying levels of ability. Best of all, they pushed me to a high standard of excellence. They weren’t about to let me slack off! While I’ve been tempted to compare my abilities to those of other women my age and size, the coaches don’t seem to be falling into that trap. They recognize individual effort and take a stand for everyone to do her own best work out, every time.
In a recent weight training exercise I had no idea what I’d be capable of lifting. The coach offered some specific suggestions to get me started and challenged me to take on more, bit by bit. I asked if it was better to climb slowly or make a jump up and then back off if the weight proved to be too much. Her response was, “You’ll never know how much you can manage until you fail.” At that point I could reassess what caused the failure. Was it too much weight? Could an adjustment be made in physical technique or mental attitude that would get me to the next level? It was an apt life lesson too.
I ended up lifting more than I had envisioned would be possible, amidst cheers from a fellow gym member. I’m proud of myself, deeply grateful to the coaches and others who encourage me along the way and excited to see how far I can get down the road.
Who’s on your team? Who will walk alongside as you move into where you want to go next? What structures have you put in place to support the goals you set for yourself? As humans, most of us thrive in community. We benefit from shared wisdom and being vulnerable enough to trust others to meet us where we are and partner with us through our trials and errors to advance our stories. And it turns out we don’t even need to be on the exact same path to offer or receive that support.
What or who do you need to make it to the next level of your vision?