It’s been a great week. A week full of great achievements; none of which were mine. Months or years ago this would have bothered me; the jealously driven PB monster would have reared it’s ugly head, biting hard and deep.

Now I find myself standing back to watch and appreciate the look of sheer delight as a client achieved their goal, something they had thought impossible only a few months ago, but agreed to ‘try’. They tried, and tried again until they ‘did’. Although their sights had originally been set on racing to achieve their goal, they came to see that it was only through their continued efforts and willingness to keep trying to ‘climb’ that they were able to ‘summit’ and reach their goal. Having achieved their goal, they almost immediately set a new goal, keen to begin the next climb, now knowing they were capable of far more than they had originally thought.

To achieve a PB is great, but to help someone else achieve a PB is far greater (bye-bye jealousy driven PB monster)! Similarly, to have been a part of someone realising that they are capable of far more than they had thought is worth far more than any PB I will ever hit in training.

I have an enemy. An enemy that can be very mean, incredibly cruel, not to mention nasty. No, it’s not someone from the gym/box or the office. That said, I have had to deal with her both at the gym and at the office (when I worked in an office).  For me, my enemy is the voice of doubt.

Although on one level I generally think of myself as someone who is reasonably fit and strong, all too often I find myself thinking ‘you’re too heavy’; ‘the weight is too heavy’; ‘your technique is really shit’; ‘how can you STILL find DUs SO difficult’; ‘if you make this lift it’s going to be some kind of fluke’;’boy you run slow’, ‘your knee will never be ‘right’ again’, etc.

Earlier this week it hit me just how incredibly destructive this internal dialogue of negativity was (and is). I’m not entirely sure where the ‘enemy’ has come from, maybe being critical is part of my personality, maybe it’s something fostered through competition? Similarly, it occurred to me that if a friend or colleague were so incredibly judgemental and harsh with me, I’d either tell them in no uncertain terms what they could do (whether anatomically possible or not!) or simply choose not to spend time or work with them anymore. Why should I treat my mean, nasty ‘enemy’ any differently?

Just as my enemy seems to be self doubt, I have seen over confidence appear to be someone’s undoing. Whether the colleague who doesn’t think it’s necessary to review the transaction documents on the basis of having done ‘tons of deals’ who realises (a little too late) that the deal is rather unique in structure and risk profile, or the athlete who doesn’t bother to review movement standards only to find themselves on the receiving end of numerous ‘no reps’; a little more humility and less confidence would have been beneficial.

Once again, like so many things in life, it seems to come down to finding the right balance. Too much doubt or confidence is likely to leave you with too little satisfaction or achievement.

During the past week or so, I’ve noticed how so many people seem to be constantly rushing to do pretty much anything and everything. Whether it’s rushing to get to work, finish a book, add weight to their lifts or lose weight, they’re dead set on trying to do this as quickly as possible. Why? Is faster better?

Ok, I totally get that sometimes ‘things happen’ (eg the Tube breaks down, you get stuck in a lift (or, if you’re really unlucky, both!)) and you have to rush to avoid the negative consequence of not rushing (eg being late to work, missing an appointment or plane!), but, save for the unexpected happenings, I’m coming to the view that in terms of the overall experience or journey, things are generally better understood and more enjoyable when savoured and not rushed.

Someone who uses drastic measures in a rush to lose weight (say for example by way of meal replacement shakes)is unlikely to develop sound nutritional habits or knowledge. Similarly, someone rushing to add weight to technically unsound lifts is, at best, likely to see their progress stall, at worst, they’ll get injured. Equally, rushing to finish the great book you’ve been reading will likely leave you with a feeling of ‘that was great, but NOW what’?

Next time you find yourself rushing or looking to do or achieve something as soon as possible, I’d urge you to take a minute (or two…) to think about how different, and perhaps more beneficial (perhaps in ways you wouldn’t expect) your accomplishment or experience would be if you slowed down, stopped rushing and enjoyed the process.