As the saying goes, “comparison is the thief of joy”. As athletes, and more importantly, as people, we obviously don’t want to lose our joy, so how can we focus on running our own race?
In both the gym and out, it’s tempting to compare ourselves to others. Often times, we’ll look at what someone else has that we don’t. In another example, we’ll notice how someone else loads the barbell and it’s not something we can do. We can either let this comparison steal our joy and make us miserable, or we can make up our minds that we’re all working toward something just a little different.
We can’t be someone else. It’s impossible to take who we were created to be and try to change that. There is no one else on the face of the earth with our unique talents and abilities, and there never will be.
If everyone knew who they really were, none of us would ever strive to be like anyone else.
Everyone has something to bring to the table. What about you makes you unique? Maybe you’re an encourager and no matter the situation, you’re able to shed light on the struggle and pull someone out of their valley. Maybe you’re a problem-solver. Often times we use our unique gifts to bless others and forget to use them to build ourselves up.
No matter where you are on your fitness journey, brand new or a veteran athlete, run your own race. Set your own goals and don’t look at anyone else. In the gym, it’s ultimately you versus Y-O-U.
What can we do to keep ourselves on track and accountable to our own personal goals? We have a few suggestions that have worked well for us:
- Keep a journal.
Write it down. Nothing truly gets your thoughts and feelings out the way journaling does. If you don’t necessarily know where you’re going or what your goals are, you’ll probably figure it out pretty quickly when you get down to the nitty gritty and put it on paper. We love this one from Moleskine.
- Say it out loud.
Sometimes our goals scare us, and they should. So much so, that it’s almost frightening to actually verbalize them. What weight do you want on that bar for your power clean? Say it out loud. How fast do you want to run your next half marathon? Verbalize it.
- Get an accountability partner
Chances are, you’re where you are because someone gave you the push you needed to take the steps to get here. Having someone to remind you of your goals when it gets tough is an incredible asset. There are days we won’t believe in ourselves, but someone else will. Being reminded of who we are and what we’re trying to accomplish goes a long way. This is why CrossFit works so well. No matter what class you attend, there is always someone that will encourage you to give it your best shot.
- Do away with the negative self-talk
You wouldn’t beat someone else up for missing a lift or making a mistake (hopefully!), so why do it to yourself? If you didn’t get it this time, there’s always next time. Encourage yourself just like you’d encourage the person next to you.
- Give yourself grace
We all slip up and end up comparing ourselves to someone else. At some point, we’ll all try to run someone else’s race. However, if you’re able to catch yourself playing the comparison game, recognize it and correct it, reaching goals will be much easier.
This is your race. No one else can run it for you because no one else was created to do what you can do or be who you’re called to be.
-Rachel
