Sunday Story…This morning

I woke and jumped out of bed and said,”today’s the day I am going to be stunningly mediocre. Yep I am going to be just as average as average can be.” Said no one ever, I hope.

So why are we all so enamored of the race to the bottom? After all, what is so special about racing to be the cheapest guy on the block? I can understand having a low price you can live with and make a living but I can’t understand being proud of mediocrity. Yet I see it every day.

What I want to see is outstanding customer service, a product to be proud of, and a price that feels fair. In return you will receive my gratitude, repeat business and referrals as often as I can give them.

Are you living your life as a race to the bottom? Or are you trying to live a life we all look at and emulate, ask other people to watch, and amaze us with your dedication and commitment. Are you trying to be average or trying to be excellent.

When you get up what do you say to yourself? I’m tired, I’m cranky, and I hurt? Or do you get up and say it is a great day to be alive? I am so fortunate to be alive today and have all the opportunities life has afforded me?

You aren’t guaranteed tomorrow. You have today; don’t spend it feeding off the bottom.

John Mariotti
www.crossfitodyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
775-338-2412

Sunday Story…It only takes

A little. Across the street from my office window is a pretty good sized park, not soccer field sized but good sized. As you know it gets hot in the summer here in Texas. And it doesn’t rain much (usually.) So the grass in the park gradually turns from verdant green to a yellow shade of straw. The longer it stays dry the yellower the grass gets.

This year it rained in August. And not just a spit or a sprinkle but real rain for an hour or two…gully washers I believe is the term. As the rain came the grass began to green up magically. The more it rained the greener the grass got. Today, as I look across the street the park looks like it did in the spring…green and lush.

My point is simple. You need to water your grass to keep it green. When we stop working out things go downhill. When we stop learning and growing we start dying, like the grass in the park. On the other hand it really doesn’t take much effort to have that grass start to green up. Your body, your brain, and your soul don’t require a ton of attention (although they will welcome it) but they require some effort to stay fresh and green and growing.

Water the lawn. Now.

John Mariotti
www.crossfitodyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
775-338-2412
PS. Thanks Natalie L.!

Sunday Story…Space

The final frontier. In this case the space between where you are and where you want to be is, on one hand, a chasm to be feared, and on the other hand is just another step.

This space is between your reality and your possibility. You get to manage what your perception of that space looks like.

If you believe that space is a yawning chasm you will be paralyzed and stuck in whatever situation you are in right now.

If you believe that space is a mere step you will be self satisfied and just as mired in ennui as if you saw a chasm.

If you want to bridge the space and leap or step into what your possibility is you need to see the space as manageable. A yawning chasm is not manageable. A mere step is not an impediment. This space is going to require you to leap, to manage a focused and sustainable effort, to be persistent and consistent. This space will require you to believe you can cross it. That you can, in fact, get to the other side, that you can get to be who you are as a possibility from where you are as a reality.

If you can’t see your way across, if you don’t understand the map then getting across the space is going to be unmanageable. You need to manage your perception of the space. Too hard and you’re terrified, too easy and you’re bored.

The final frontier isn’t the space; it is your perception of the space. To become your possibility you must see the space in the right way.

John Mariotti
www.crossfitodyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
775-338-2412

Sunday Story…the Professional

And the amateur are two different animals. A lot has been said about the difference between them. Really, though, the bottom line is that the professional does it because it needs doing and the amateur does it because it is convenient.

This distinction can be made around just about any pursuit. Work, home, relationships, athletics all carry in them the seeds or professionalism. Do you work on your relationship when it is easy and convenient? How about your career? Are you stepping up when it needs to be done, in advance of it being painfully obvious? Are you working on your personal development like your life depended on it (because it does)? How about your spiritual life? Professional or amateur?

Here are some thoughts on the subject.
The professional:
Works because the work needs doing
Does the work even when it is inconvenient, tedious and boring
Looks forward to the work even when he isn’t looking forward to doing it
Slogs thru when everyone else has gone home
Knows the reward is always worth the sacrifice even when the reward is all internal
Is playing for the long game not the short term rewards
Uses his fear as an impetus to action not an impediment
Doesn’t let anything stand between him and getting the work done…early, late, hungry, or tired…he gets it done

You get to decide which you want to be…professional or amateur. Being a professional is not easy but it is a mindset to approach life with…all aspects of your life.

Be professional.

John Mariotti
www.crossfitodyssey.com
www.sundaystory.blogspot.com
775-338-2412