Who are you comparing yourself to?
This question came from Seth Godin’s blog yesterday. It is an old question from my past and one that stopped me in my tracks, literally. Does it stop you?
I don't like to openly admit this, but, I didn’t exercise regularly until my mid-twenties. I began a daily running regimen and built up enough endurance to run three uninterrupted miles. I stayed there for years never moving the bar on the goal or running any further. I used to compare myself to my mother, which is strange, because she never exercised a day in her life and she passed on at an early age. I ran the same tape through – "mom couldn’t run from the house to the car, much less run three miles – boy am I something."
Today, I do Crossfit for exercise. I train with very fit people and most of them are about ten years younger. I have to scale some of the exercises in order to do them, but for many, I’m right there in the mix doing the same movements and weights as everyone else. And because Crossfit has a competitive element (do this for time), I drive myself to be stronger and faster for every WOD (workout of the day) - as I try to beat my training partners, who I now compare myself to.
I am stronger than I’ve ever been and my body composition has changed. I have good energy and my sense of accomplishment for doing these really tough WODs spills over to make good things happen in all other areas of my life.
I’m better at forty-something than I was at twenty-something.
So ask yourself this question. Who are you comparing yourself to?
Great question.
Marilyn Carpenter is a Business Coach, Speaker and Author. Look for her book – OPEN SESAME: Why It’s All About ACCESS For The New Worker of the 21st Century - Available September 14, 2009 through Amazon.com.