Now
Wednesday, February 3, 2010 at 10:53PM by Jon Gilson
There’s always something.
The bright lights. The Top 20 pop. Someone wanting to talk to you about the something about the time you did the thing.
Ignore them. Not nasty. Not with distain. Because now is the time, the moment when you concentrate on the task ahead, on the never-ending belief that what’s about to go down will go down, that you can’t be beaten.
Every ounce of psychic energy you’re about to bring to bear; it’s easy to disrupt, easy to kill. You have to protect it, feet on the ground, head down, focusing on the simple mental images of success.
There is great power in the singular sight, the sole goal, the only reason you came here. Your next personal record, better than last time, better than ever, it’s right here in front of you, ready for the taking.
And now, you have to take it. Two words, three words run through your head, a tight, concise, pithy description of the end state, the moment right before the chest bumps and high fives and screams like a fifteen-year-old’s cracking voice.
When they try to distract you, jump in on your bar, talk about the suck, borrow your 5s, cure your stress, just stop. Look up, make eye contact, not angry but ready, and look back down. This isn’t about Community. Not now. This is about winning, succeeding, making yourself believe that what’s about to happen will happen, must happen, that nothing else can happen, the intellectual certitude followed by physical reality.
And then, get ready to go. Grip the bar. Chalk up, and remember that your momentary lapse in social nicety will be rewarded with what you wanted, the moment of apex. Your short, pithy phrase repeats until there is nothing else, no sound, no Top 20, no mats, no platforms, no nothing except a bar and a goal, the universe bent around you in a cocoon of now.
Don’t think heels down, chest up. Don’t think at all, because you don’t need to. You already did it, and miracle of miracles, what was supposed to happen happened. It’s over your head. It’s locked out.
And now, they fade back in. The sound of volume slow marching to full blast, clapping, screaming, backslapping rah.
You can give in, or you can go back. Sit down, shut your eyes, and bring pithy back. Because it’s not over, and you can shut it out again. Accept that this is just a step and not the end, and it will happen all over again. Another record, not a defining moment, but an ephemeral glimpse at where you were, the shallow footprint of an athlete who’s moving forward faster.
Ignore them, and bring it. Because there’s always something more.
Neal cleans at CrossFit Boston. Picture courtesy of CrossFit Boston.
Reader Comments (13)
This is exactly why I CrossFit. Every day the boring desk job, chores and countless tasks disappear for one chance to prove to myself that I'm still moving forward. Perfect post, Jon. Thanks!
Great stuff Jon! I have officially turned my "Superman" shirt in for a "Jon Gilson"! Keep up the good work bro!
great attitude!!
Awesome. am heading over to the bar right now for some deadlifts and squats, pumped!
Great article Jon!
love the post Jon!
This instantly made me think of you at the KoP cert when you were snatching. You did the work and went back to sit in your chair to prepare for the next lift. Good stuff.
Great post! Love the mental game in athlets.
Sebastien Rahman
Personal Trainer Toronto
Great post, as usual. Before a metcon WOD, I frequently ask the coach to turn on the music.. I watch the coach walk over to the ipod station. Then I hear "3,2,1, GO!" and whatever is happening around me goes silent. When I'm finished, I can't remember if the music was ever actually turned on, or what songs were playing. Happens every time.
i let myself go a little bit this last month but stumbled on this site and will be implementing some of these techniques with my current plan thans jon
"There is great power in the singular sight" for real. Too bad I'm stuck in a small gym these days, too easy to have people bump into you and want to start conversations... apart from those trying to steal your bench and just sit there non-stop!
Mark Martinez,
Testing out hyper gain like the energizer bunny
Jon,
Great Post. I just read it and agree with the here and now. Being able to block out distactions is a great skill that will have incredible cary over from working out, to the workplace, to kids screaming and having to concentrate on the road when driving. etc. Great post once again. I'm not a fan of Tiger Woods for his personal life, but for his athletic accomplishments. I read an article that said how his dad would pull all these stunts when they played ot distract him at key points in his swing, etc. One game, towards the end of Tiger's amateur days, apparently his dad pulled out like every trick in the books and none of them even bothered Tiger... at the end his dad looked at him and told him that now he was ready. That point of fucus was his dad's goal.. great story.
Nice article. I really like this "Your next personal record, better than last time, better than ever, it’s right here in front of you, ready for the taking."