Who Are You? I Challenge You!

Who Are You? I Challenge You!
Written by Melissa Hurley

Who are you and how do you “fit” in the Invictus community? Yes, you, the one in the back of the room just trying to go unnoticed. Yes, you, who comes in late and runs out right when you finish your last rep – hey, what about the guy working next to you? He’s still working. Yes, yes, I am, I’m talking to you, the competitor who thinks they own the gym and everyone should watch out, because you’ve got it all and you’re special.

The truth is we’re all special; we’re all fighting to be our best, to fight the negative voices in our head telling us to quit. Who are you? Who are you to the Invictus community?

I’m not going to lie, CrossFit can be intimidating; it is hard and sometimes our pride follows us in the door. Sometimes the stress of our day makes the bar feel heavier because of the weight we already carry from our busy life. But the beauty of CrossFit can and should be the people – the community you get to rally around to let the world disappear for an hour or a little longer if you need more time. More time for what? More time to leave life at the door, leave the insecurities, check the ego and pride, and come together with others who feel the same, who want to get a good sweat and find the adrenaline high of fighting for health and/or competition.

We pride ourselves on the Sea of Green as Invictus members and competitors. As part of the Team Invictus Games team, we constantly found more drive when we raised our eyes to the Sea of Green. We weren’t alone; we knew those cheering us on felt the pain too, and that they were in the heat of the battle with us. From there, we could find strength, we could dig a little deeper, and we knew it was bigger than ourselves – we weren’t alone!

When I train alone, my workouts aren’t as stellar to say the least; it is easier for me to lower head, let the feeling of defeat set in and self doubt peek into my thoughts. But when I have a training partner or a whole group, my eyes stay lifted and my negative thoughts aren’t allowed a second thought because I hear a comrade remind me I can do it – just get one more, one more.

We all need the pat on the back, the encouragement to hang on, and that other person believing we can do it when we fight to believe in ourselves. You need it. I need it. So who are you?

Personally I feel we let our own insecurities push away from others; push us out the door before others can see us or hide us in the back because we don’t know if we belong or if we’re even good enough.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves: ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” – Marianne Williamson

WHO ARE YOU? I challenge you to get outside of yourself and let your light shine. Reach out to the gal in the corner. Stay an extra 5-10 minutes to cheer on the last guy fighting to finish their last rep and remember how you fought too. Be the competitor who shares what they’ve learned along their journey and always remember where you started. I couldn’t do a pull-up my first day in the gym. Chat it up with someone you’ve never meet; maybe they’re new and lost – you once stood in their shoes. We are all misfits, we are all weird, we are all different, and we all have different opinions. We’re only alone when we don’t stretch out a hand. Reach out, because someone is reaching out to you. You and I are just puzzle pieces in this life. Life is beautiful when we all come together to make the picture whole. Who are you? I challenge you!