We all have this innate fear of starting something new. Myself included.
We think it’s too hard or too scary, or we won’t be able to do or succeed at whatever it is. I know I overthink the heck out of everything. What if I can’t do it? What if I look stupid? What if I fail?
Does that sound familiar? Because that was me when I started CrossFit. Really, whenever I started anything new.
But the truth of the matter is, we’re all beginners at some point. We don’t start out knowing how to do things. Shoot, we don’t even start out knowing how to walk or talk. But we don’t wonder if we’re going to fail at those things. We just start doing them. And if we fail or fall down, we get back up and try again.
At some point, however, that get back up and try again goes out the window. We start overthinking ourselves and our ability, and we start worrying about what other people are going to think or say. Or worse, we stop trying for fear of failure.
I put off trying CrossFit for a long while because I was afraid of what people would think. Well, really, what one person would think. It’s sad how we put our lives and future on hold because of what others’ think, but it’s a reality for too many of us.
In actuality, this person could have cared less what I was doing. Most people are so concerned about their own lives that they aren’t worried about what you’re doing. It took me FAR TOO LONG to realize this.
Do you think everyone knew how to snatch when they first started CrossFit? Do you think everyone knew how to do a pull-up or overhead squat or <insert any movement here>?
Literally everyone who started CrossFit was a beginner. We all started not knowing the movements or how to perform them. Do you think Marquiche (in the picture) could snatch that much when he first started CrossFit? We all had to learn how to do the things.
So don’t be afraid to start something new, whether it’s CrossFit or something, anything, else.
Or better yet, feel the fear and do it anyway! I know it’s scary to start and try new things. But it can end up being the best decision of your life! And you prove to yourself that you can do hard things.
Just start. Learn along the way. Grow and improve, every day.
And if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!
Whitney
