by Craig Hysell
A diamond is thought to have been formed over a hundred miles below the earth’s surface under constant heat and pressure over billions of years. In a sudden volcanic eruption, diamonds were thought to be brought to the earth’s surface extremely rapidly (a slow process upward would’ve turned diamonds into graphite).
What’s the analogy for humans?
Beautiful, anti-fragile things take lots and lots of time to build and, one day, will come shooting to the surface for all the world to see the “overnight” success.
There is no overnight success. There is only effort (heat and pressure) consistently applied (and enjoyed if your head’s on correctly) over an extended period of unfathomable time so that one day (and you never quite know when) it will be your time to shine more brightly than all the rest.
For a long time at CTF: Home of the Original CrossFit Hilton Head, we have operated under the guidance of “Levels” to help us gauge our physical progress.
This label, while functional and helpful, is incomplete.
As CTF continues to seek the very best measures by which we can help you progress- not just in the gym but as human beings- we feel being a “Level” is artificial. It means nothing. We are more, way more, than just our physical.
Does a Level II athlete put out less effort than a Level III athlete? Aren’t both athletes trying as hard as they can to be their best selves?
And what about respecting the condition of your body on that day of training OR what you are specifically training for? Most of our athletes at CTF move up and down the Level Ladder intelligently and at will throughout the week.
We are not competing AGAINST others here. We are competing WITH others in an effort to bring out the best in each other and ourselves. The difference is the difference between a competition and a team. There is a place for both.
In training, it is the philosophy of CTF that raising each other up and training as ONE TEAM makes us all better in ways well beyond the physical benefits of the program. With consistency, trust and vulnerability come strength, unity and achievement.
Beginning next week, on Monday, 11/07/16, as we go on a straight OG training program tear for the next 30 days, we will transition from “Levels” to “Options” in our daily programming.
The framework will stay the same, the label will change everything and the catch will be, for YOU to KNOW YOU and YOUR TRAING GOALS. CTF will be helping you with that too in November. But… we’ll leave that CTF Knowledge Bomb for a blog post at another time.
Enjoy the change. Explore. Play. Be Safe. Learn Things. Get Outside Your Comfort Zone. Live the Dream.
A diamond is not a miracle. A diamond is the strong and beautiful result of a long and natural process. Heat and pressure do not have to be arduous; once these virtues are accepted for what they create, heat and pressure can be sought after, had fun with and enjoyed.
Hugs.