It’s a new year and I’ve been researching some new (big and scary) fitness goals. As part of my own fitness and growth I’ve been immersing myself in the world of CrossFit. I’ve been reading websites, watching videos, and talking with new friends about the sport. I’m learning all sorts of new things I never knew before, like the fact that you should file down the calluses on your hands, to try and prevent more blister rips, which are a hazard of doing pull-ups.
Doesn’t everyone file down the skin on the palm of their hands every week?
So I’ve been doing a lot of learning and a lot of listening to people who know more about CrossFit than I do. And I’ve had to pause lately because all around the world of CrossFit I keep hearing the word “unbroken.” Unbroken means to do a set of repetitions of something, without pausing, without stopping, without resting. As in “I did 30 pull-ups yesterday, unbroken.” Another way to say this is “He did 30 unbroken pull-ups.” If you have to stop and pause during the set, you have essentially created a break in the repetitions.
So the word “unbroken” has a very specific and useful meaning in the world of CrossFit. If you did a tough set of something unbroken, it means you are pretty badass.
I find it incredibly ironic the new word I’m hearing in this new world is unbroken, when the title of this new blog launch in June of 2011 was “I Am Broken.”
June of 2011 suddenly seems like a very long time ago.
I love language. I love the power of language and how we all use language to define our life.
The words we use shape us. And we get to choose the words we use to describe our life.
I have two questions for you today:
1. When you reflect on what you want the future life you want for yourself this year, what words come to mind? Write those down. They don’t need to be a coherent paragraph, just write down any and all words that come to mind when you think about the future you want.
2. When you listen really closely to the words that you keep hearing all around you in your life this week, which words jump out at you? Start paying close attention and listen carefully throughout your day. Write down those words down that keep popping up, words that stick out in conversations.
Then compare these two answers to see if the words you are hearing this week are in alignment with the words of the future life you want for yourself. Hopefully they are similar. If they are not, if they are opposite, then you might want to think about making some changes somewhere. But paying attention to the words can help you figure out if your life is in alignment with the future you want for yourself.
Meanwhile, I’ll be headed back to the gym to do some sort of workout, unbroken.