The Art of Positive Change
by Kris Germain
This Friday the CrossFit Open happens...again. I have signed up and I’m ready mentally.
The first thought someone might have is: Kris, you own a CrossFit gym, of course you have to sign up. Of course you have to tell other people to do the same. If you know me well, you know I can’t preach or sell or coach if I’m not a believer in what we’re doing. If it’s false, I can’t bring myself to bring others with.
Truthfully, I think there will be many gyms that don’t jump into the Open this time. Participation likely will be lower worldwide this round. So, why is CrossFit 310 doing it again? Why am I personally signing up for it again? Why am I bringing people with me? Because of everything I’ve learned regarding Positive Change.
Positive Change is impossible unless you disrupt the thing you’ve been doing again and again.
All significant Positive Change begins with an uncomfortable starting point. This principle is so universal, it should be EASY to recognize and proceed forward. The problem is, human nature fights ferociously for comfortable.
The sharp teeth of “status quo” have sunk in so deep that we rarely see significant change in a positive direction, period.
Forty-six years into life, and here is what I’ve personally experienced and seen, regarding positive change, in the gym and every other sphere of my life:
It is extremely rare that positive change is made on your own, without any outside influence, whether it be physical, organizational or spiritual.
Period.
If you are not moving forward, you are moving backward.
This turn of phrase is dangerously simple. So simple, you can overlook it. This principle needs to be Preached, Coached and Demonstrated. It applies to literally every area of your life.
It is crucial to find organizations and individuals who are doing this well.
There is an art to daring individuals to break out of their comfort zone and to recognize the timing of each person’s revolution will look different. My working definition for “doing this well” includes two basic criteria:
The organization or individual invites you to come as you are. Come imperfect and unfinished, and start where you are now.
The individual or organization has the ability to follow through with that invite. They have a method of development to bring people alongside and grow them over time.
Our programs at CrossFit 310 are designed to provide avenues of participation. Another round of RunFit 310 starts October 21st and Coach Jen will be in dozens of conversations, encouraging and inviting people to come with us. Tomorrow our gym jumps into the first CrossFit Open workout. This is about disruption for me. This is about allowing myself to go with a group of people into unknown workouts to move the needle on my fitness and resolve. I will find myself in dozens of side conversations, encouraging and inviting people to come with us, not just in the Open but generally. We do this in many facets at CrossFit 310 including our Personal Training and Nutrition programs. We want to help you start now. We believe deeply in positive change and bringing as many people with us as we can.
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