Sunday Story…My Apologies

To each one of you, my readers.

For not holding you more accountable.
For allowing you to “slip”.
For not being more insistent in our pursuit of fitness, health and excellence.
For letting mediocrity creep in.
For allowing excuses to be reasons.
For not calling forth your greatness.
For not seeing all your fears and finding the path to defeating them.
For all the ways I have failed you.

I apologize. I re-commit to doing better, to insisting on you doing better, to creating an environment where excellence isn’t a sometimes thing but an all the time thing.

We are what we do.
Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.
Aristotle

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

Sunday Story…Good Enough

Isn’t Good Enough, sometimes. Maybe just this once, you shouldn’t settle. Maybe you should sacrifice, lay it all on the line, and do whatever it takes to make the thing happen. What then?

What if you didn’t let the urgent stuff get in the way of the important stuff? What if you focused only on the important? What if you went “all-in” to do only that?

What if you saw the change you wanted to make and you wouldn’t slow down, settle, or stop until the change was in place? What if your work mattered so much that anything less than full effort was akin to thievery? What if we decided there was only one acceptable outcome?

Maybe there are places we shouldn’t allow good enough to be good enough. Maybe there are things so important that anything less than complete and total ownership would be criminal. Maybe you should find something like that and be unstoppable.

What if, indeed?

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

Sunday Story…Can

Not should.

Just because I can doesn’t mean I should. There are lots of things in the world I Can do. Every day I am presented with a myriad of choices of things I can do. Most of them, not only Can I do but I Should do. There are, however a bunch of them I Can do but absolutely Should NOT do!

How do you know what I should or should not do? What’s the mechanism for making sure I am doing what I Can and Should do?

You might start with the worst-case scenario. I can do X and the worst thing that might happen is Y. Y isn’t too bad, I can live with Y, it isn’t going to affect my day to day life too terribly much and probably isn’t going to happen anyway. On the other hand, if Y happens my life is going to change and not for the better. Easy decision there, right? Don’t do X if though you can!

I call this “doing the math.” When I sit down and figure out all the likely outcomes from any given activity I am in the process of deciding what I Should do. And if the math is in my favor then go ahead…you Can and you Should. If the math indicates the outcome might change your life unfavorably (the likelihood of death for instance), Don’t Do It!!! Doing the math is way cheaper than the alternative.

"Good judgment comes from experience, experience comes from bad judgment"

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

Sunday Story…More “P”s

I often wonder about those huge water towers we see all over the landscape. Are they really full of water? Does it ever get used? When? How? Why?

The why is puzzling…I mean we have a pretty good system for water delivery for the most part and it just seems that pumping water up to a tower only to let it feedback down is remarkably inefficient.

On closer inspection, however, the necessary energy expenditure to meet the demand when all of us need water at the same time is waaaay bigger than the expenditure needed to send that water up to the top of the tower. So it is more efficient to do it that way.

Guess what? Planning ahead makes getting the job done consistently and efficiently way easier. Just like practicing your bar muscle-ups is more efficient than trying to figure it out on game day! Just like doing the progressions to get any skill perfected makes more sense than just trying to do the skill.

You can’t learn to drive by hopping into a race car that goes 200mph…you will just learn to crash! We learn to drive in an empty parking lot at 5mph and eventually we figure out how to go 200mph. There’s a bunch of stuff in life like this (most, actually)…proper planning (as well as preparation) also prevents poor performance!

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

Sunday Story…Good and Better

Perfection may be the ideal we are all striving for but the facts are simple…perfection is so rare as to be non-existent. If we refuse to do anything until it is perfect nothing is going to get done. We need to accept good enough sometimes.

Sometimes you have to just put your work out there. It’s at a completion point. It isn’t perfect. It is a work in progress. It is going to need some tweaks, some adjustments, and some course corrections. Then we will do it again and go back and make adjustments again. And so on and so on until we move to the next project.

Good enough isn’t perfect. But it is good enough. Your heroes aren’t perfect…it is in their non-perfection that we find their humanity. The flawed human that finds heroism lurking under the surface of their broken existence. Nothing is perfect…not your relationship, your religion, your culture…none of it is perfect. It is all flawed in some way.

Are you afraid of your non-perfection? Are you ashamed of it? In denial about it? Hiding your imperfections? Finding the things that are less than perfect are easy…they are everywhere. And once found it is easy to criticize and condemn them for their imperfections.

It might be more productive to find what is good, what is working, what is beautiful (though flawed) in whatever you are looking at. We can improve on it. We can embrace the imperfections and smooth out the blemishes, take the imperfections and exploit them to improve and be better.

Good enough is a way to get better. Don’t waste it waiting on perfect.

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

Sunday Story…Apply

Sometimes we need to work in a consistent manner. Over and over the same thing, the same way. This is how we build the skills that will take us into the next thing.

It is in that next thing that the magic lays...the magic that is the ability to surf the ever-changing wave. Without the proper skill set, I will fall off the board before I get to enjoy the ride. That will create frustration as I fall again and again. I need to practice the fundamentals and basic skills so I can find my way through unknown and changing terrain.

You need to walk before you can run. And before you can walk you need to have balancing skills. You got those skills by falling down over and over…relentlessly. Any task in an ever-changing environment will be based first on the skills necessary to navigate the task and then the mindfulness to enjoy the ride.

Finding our way through unknown territory is not training, it is the application of training.

Learn first. Then train over and over. Lastly apply, apply, apply. And most of all…enjoy the process. It is in the journey, in the effort that joy resides.

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

Sunday Story…Annoyances

In the movie, “Dumb and Dumber” there is a scene where Jim Carrey demonstrated the most annoying noise in the world. And, as you might expect, it is pretty annoying. But, to be honest, why? Why do I want to be annoyed? Is there a measure to be more annoyed or is there a limit to how annoyed one can get?

I mean we go to the gym to get more fit, we eat right to be healthier, and we go to yoga to find some calm…so do we get to work on our annoy-ability? I think not. None of us want to be annoyed or more annoyed. Being annoyed is a symptom, a side effect of something else. A mosquito in my bedroom is an annoyance, a side effect of allowing a pest into my space. The solution is simple…chase the pest out.

There is no mileage in being annoyed. You don’t get to go to the world championships of annoyance. We don’t hold up the most annoyed people as heroes and we certainly don’t laud the annoying. If anything we do everything we can to eliminate annoyances and annoying people.

The lesson in the annoyance is in solving the problem not wallowing about in the annoying pool. Solve the problem. Being annoyed is a waste of time and energy.

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

Sunday Story…The 6 “P”s

Proper planning prevents piss-poor performance. In other words, plan your work and work your plan.

This is true of your diet, your workouts, and your rest. It is also true pretty much everywhere in your life. When we plan and plan properly (not ragtag) our performance will be better than if we just wing it.

Do you have a plan for:
Your relationship(s)
Your career
Your personal growth
Your education
Your life?

Most people spend more time planning their television watching than they do planning for their food, exercise or education. What will you read next year? What did you read this year that furthered your plan? What did you learn, what will you learn?

We all have goals. Some of us even write them down. Research has shown time and again that writing things down creates an imprint. That imprint provides the impetus for a plan. That plan lays the groundwork for success. An old axiom is this…If you fail to plan you plan to fail. If you don’t prepare food for the week your food plan will fall apart in short order. If you show up at the gym with no idea of what your plan is I guarantee your workout isn’t going to be a good as it should be…good thing someone else does that here for you!

Set a goal.
Make a plan.
Execute the said plan.
Adjust for results (good and bad).
Repeat.

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

Sunday Story…Growth and Attention

Most of us have plants in our immediate world. Maybe indoors, maybe outdoors but you have plants somewhere in your life. Those plants require some attention to thrive…light, water, maybe some fertilizer, and a new pot once in a while.

Guess what? The rest of your life is like that too. Finances? You need to look at your accounts and make sure they are growing in the direction you want. Health? I definitely need to see a doctor regularly, eat right, work out, and avoid obviously dangerous pursuits. Relationships need to be nurtured and valued. Leaving everything to chance might work but then again it might not. If you don’t pay attention and things go sideways you won’t know what to change to improve things.

We often talk about measuring things to manage them. If I don’t know when the last time I watered my plants was, it will be hard to know when they need water again. And the real problem is that when I realize my error it may be too late to save them.

You wouldn’t want your bank account to die off due to lack of water, would you? How about your personal relationships? How often do we see people splitting up because one or both partners have allowed the relationship to become moribund and root bound?

Active attention will help everything to thrive…your relationships, your money, and your health. Why wouldn’t you focus on what you want to see grow? It seems like a no-brainer to me!

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

Sunday Story…It Only Works

When you do. Look this really is simple…when you work you get results. If your doctor gives you an antibiotic to clear up an infection but you never fill the prescription or take the pills they won’t work. You will still have an infection.
If you show up to work out and just put in a half effort you won’t get results. You will continue to be unfit. This is the fallacy of our modern times. You have been told all you need to do is 40 minutes of “exercise” 3 times a week and you will be fit. This is pure unadulterated balderdash. If your current level of fitness is lying on the couch all day then, yes, walking for 40 minutes will be an improvement. But if you are showing up at the gym to just dialing your work out you are not doing the work.

If you get a nutrition prescription and don’t follow it, please don’t blame the nutritionist, the advice, and the food. Go in the bathroom, look in the mirror and lay the blame where it belongs.

This is not rocket science. Your fitness will improve when you pick up heavier stuff than you did last week. Your health will improve when you eat better food (and/or drink less alcohol) than you did last week. These things work when you do.

Decide what results you want. Make a plan, follow it, and work hard. Your results will be determined by the level of commitment and work you put in. When you work good things happen. And remember…If it doesn’t challenge you it won’t change you!

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

Sunday Story…What’s next?

You’ve completed your fitness challenge or at least you have been reading and thinking and watching the videos so what do you do next?

Several choices…

Easy: Go back to doing what you did before the challenge. Slip back into your old habits and give up your progress and gains. After all, you can always get the same results you have always gotten.

Sort of hard: Do the next challenge. Keep moving along, working out hard but with a bit less intensity maybe. Eat right most of the time, except on weekends, special occasions, or when you just don’t prepare your food. This way you can stay on track.

Hard: Do the next challenge. Drill down your food consumption, weigh everything, control your consumption, even on cheat days, stay away from alcohol, work out with intention and focus every time. This is next-level stuff. Whatever your current level is this is a higher commitment to your health and fitness.

Really Freaking Hard: Don’t do this. This is where you tip past health and fitness and into an unhealthy obsession! I speak from experience.

Don’t do easy. You have worked really hard to get here. Giving up all that work is like cooking a meal and not eating it. You deserve to enjoy your health and fitness. You worked for the reward, enjoy it. Taking the middle way is healthy and doable. You are already most of the way there! Going harder may not be the best thing for you but we will support that choice if you want to make it.

Whatever you do, don’t stop now!

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

Sunday Story…Fitness Challenge #8

At the top of our Fitness pyramid is play! That’s right PLAY! Sports, recreation, doing stuff you like…PLAY!

Let’s be honest…if all this fitness work, eating right, prepping food, sleeping and resting and recuperating, monitoring intensity and volume has any real enjoyable benefit it is here…at the top of the pyramid. Climb a mountain, ride a bike, swim, kayak, paddleboard, toss your kids, climb a tree do FUN stuff.

You’ve worked hard. You paid attention to what you put in your body. You showed up at the box and put in the reps. You created a place for your health and fitness to improve. You deserve the win.

This is the pay off. This is the reward, the first place trophy; the big check…doing the things you really want to do, when you want to do them in a way you want to do them. You are human, you were born to move, born to run, jump and play.

Be more human. Be the human you were created to be!

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

Sunday Story…Fitness Challenge 7

Here we are…Food first, Sleep, Recovery and now Training. If you just did the first three you would be head and shoulders ahead of everyone else. You can’t out-train a bad diet. You can’t out-train poor sleep and no recovery so let’s suppose you have those things dialed in. You are now ready to start training.

Notice I use the word “training” not exercise. In this day and age just about everything passes as exercise. Training is different. Training is intentional. Training is mindful; Training has an endpoint, an expected outcome, a reason to be. Get on the treadmill for 20 minutes, read a book, watch some T.V….exercise. Have a fitness plan, execute the plan, be fully engaged in the process, measure your progress and be more fit when you are finished…training. The difference is obvious. Exercise is something you do without thinking…playing scales on the piano, walking after dinner, leafing through a magazine. Training is what you do to achieve an outcome.

You show up to train. You put all your attention and energy into the process. When you are finished you record your results.

Don’t exercise…Train and train hard.

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

Sunday Story…Fitness Challenge 6

Food, sleep, and now Recovery. These things create the base for our expanding and growing fitness. But what do I mean by recovery?

Recovery isn’t just sleep. Recovery isn’t exactly rest, either. Recovery is an active process of putting your body in the best possible state in order to return to its “ready” state. Every time I work out my body breaks down…depending on the workout the damage could be a lot but it is always something if I am really training (not exercising!). So I need to do what I can to return to the most optimum position I can for the next round.

Everything helps…a nap, a good night’s sleep, post workout nutrition, a proper cool-down (get on the bike for 10 minutes)…everything. When my work out is over I can throw my street clothes on and rush out the door or I can spend 15 minutes stretching, slow-moving, and rolling the body parts out that I just asked so much of. Maybe tomorrow I need to not be intense and just do a little lsd…long slow distance, designed to flush lactic acid and create some movement in my muscles. This kind of planned active recovery movement is super important to your health and longevity. There is a reason pro athletes don’t play at “game day intensity” every day. There is a reason for an “off-season.” Every body needs to recover from high intensity work.

What are you doing to recover? Plan it out and make it happen!

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

Sunday Story…Fitness Challenge 5

Sleep. Snooze. Nap. Shuteye. Sawing logs. Call it what you will but the most overlooked part of your fitness is sleep. It doesn’t show up on the pyramid (unless I “sharpie” it in) but it should and we don’t spend as much time on it as the rest of this stuff…food and workouts.

As a matter of fact, we usually assume sleep is something that just happens. I mean we’ve been doing it our whole lives; we should be pretty good at it by now. But we aren’t being intentional with our sleep. We haven’t analyzed it the way we analyze our workouts or our food. But since you spend about one-third of your life sleeping (as opposed to about an hour a day working out) maybe you should take a deeper dive into your sleep habits.

Here are some basic tips:

Go to bed and get up at the same time every day.
Stop your screen time at least an hour before getting into bed.
Sleep in a completely darkened room.
Keep the room cool.
When you go to bed you go to bed. You don’t watch TV, work, talk on the phone or play games. You sleep.
No caffeine after 2pm.
Use a sleep app like “sleep cycle” to start tracking both your time and quality of sleep. You will be surprised by what affects your sleep.
Read “Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar and Survival” by T.S.Wiley

If you want to be more fit, sleep more!

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

Sunday Story…Fitness Challenge 4

Years ago someone asked me, “What are you training for?” My answer was a simple, “life. I’m training for my life.” The other day someone said something along the lines of, “Is this how we exercise in this day and age?” and the corollary question was: “do we really need this level of conditioning?” If exercise is defined as mental or bodily exertion then yes it is and the answer to part 2 is it depends on what you want. If you want to be operating at an optimum level of health and fitness then yes, this is the level of conditioning you need. It is my position that your level of physical conditioning has everything to do with your level of mental health and happiness.

Look, the base, the starting point is nutrition. You cannot out-exercise a bad diet. If you eat crap your results will be crap. Garbage in garbage out. This gets more and more important as you get older. The effects of poor nutrition get magnified as our bodies struggle to keep up with the effects of aging.

Part 2 is your metabolic conditioning. This is the work we do intending to increase and improve the storage and delivery of energy for any activity. This is why we work in various time domains with an infinite variety of movement patterns. Each workout will challenge and improve your (among other things) your muscular stamina, cardiovascular endurance, resistance to fatigue, and mental strength.

Why do I train? Why is fitness important? The answer to this lies inside each of you. My answer (for me) is simple: for life! My job is to be the best I can possibly be at any point in my life. What’s yours?

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

Sunday Story…Fitness Challenge 3

Every meal is NOT a banquet! Every time you eat it does not need to be a full-on celebration. Just because you worked out or had a hard day doesn’t give you automatic permission to eat like a fool.

Think about this…if you have 1 glass of wine every day (because after all you had a rough day and you deserve it!) at the end of the year you will have consumed 22 gallons of wine! Whaaaat!!! I’m pretty sure you don’t need or want to consume that much alcohol.

Look life can be rough. You will have some tough times, some days that are hard. It’s supposed to be that way. If you want easy you might need to look elsewhere. Find a different way to decompress…read, converse, listen to music, dance or any number of things that don’t include health-compromising activities.

Food is fuel. You should eat enough to support your activity but not so much as to store body fat. Eating is a necessity, not a party. That being said, when it is a party give yourself permission to indulge and enjoy every morsel. Don’t be that guy or girl eating 7 almonds in the corner like a mouse.

Stop before you start. You know what foods you can’t resist. If you eat just one you will eat a hundred. Your will power is non-existent around those foods. So NEVER let those cross your lips at any time. You know what foods you enjoy and have a hard time stopping but you can stop if you are paying attention. Then there are the foods you can eat and stop at any time, no problem.

There you have it…3 ways to keep your food consumption under control…plan ahead, eat slowly and mindfully, give up the “celebration” mindset. Pick the easiest one and start there. Add the next one when you got the first one nailed down!

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

Sunday Story…Fitness Challenge Redux

Last week we talked about planning ahead. Hopefully, you are doing some meal prep before your week starts. Or at least you are thinking about what your week’s schedule looks like in relation to the food you may have available.

This week…Pay Attention!
Planning will make sure you are aware of WHAT you are eating but it may not solve the OVEReating problem. It is the OVEReating that will torpedo your nutrition and fitness progress. Awareness and mindfulness are the keys to success here. You must pay attention to how MUCH you are eating.

Here are some simple ways to increase your awareness when you are eating:

STOP multitasking. It's simple when you are eating you are eating…not surfing on your phone, not standing at the counter, not on the computer, not driving. You have 1 job…eat with attention and mindfulness.

SLOW down. You need to give your system a chance to “catch up” with your food. The mechanism that tells you when you are full is slower than your ability to put food in your mouth. Put your fork down between bites. Chew your food completely…chew it until it becomes liquid in your mouth then swallow. These 2 things alone will help you eat less than you have previously and will increase your sense of fullness and your enjoyment of your food.

Food is fun! Savor every bite!

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

Sunday Story…Fitness Challenge

Hopefully, you are going to participate in the fitness challenge Ellie is kicking off on Monday (tomorrow). This first week is learning week…you won’t be perfect and that’s OK! But I wanted to give you 3 tips to help jump start your new food regimen!

#1 Plan ahead at the beginning of the week.
Look ahead at your week and decide how and where you will be eating your meals. Then do Food Prep on Sunday afternoon/evening. That’s right, cook up a bunch of food so it will be in the fridge and ready to go at any time during the week. Roast some veggies in the oven (potatoes, butternut squash, beets, and carrots….root vegetables!) use different spices on different things for different flavors. Fire up the grill and cook a bunch of animal protein…same thing with different spices. Find your crockpot (slow cooker) and throw a hunk of meat in with some more root veggies. Put things in some Tupperware and place it in the fridge. Oh, and eggs (especially the whites) are your friend!

#2 Prep the night before
If you can’t or didn’t do your Sunday food prep then the night before prepare double the food for dinner. Eat dinner and when you clean up put it in some Tupperware and take it for lunch the next day.

#3 the Morning Of
Sometimes life just doesn’t cooperate and your food prep just hasn’t happened. Don’t despair…you aren’t stuck with the vending machine at work or the week-old muffins someone left behind. Get up a little earlier and look at your schedule, find some pockets of time like on the way to work or lunch break (do not decide it’s easier to go to Fast Food!)…stop at whole foods or another market and grab a healthy snack or 2 or 3 to get thru the day with intention rather than submitting to the whims of whatever you can grab.

None of this stuff is rocket science hard. But it does require you to be intentional and do some pre-planning. Just like most of the things in life!

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

Sunday Story…Oops

We all make mistakes. It is part of the human condition. Actually we don’t make enough NEW mistakes. A new mistake arises from trying new things, having original thoughts, daring to search for something better.

We need to stop making the same old mistakes over and over and over. It is insanity, after all. What is it about us humans that has us think that this time is going to be different? This time the thing is going to work even though it hasn’t worked the last 10 times we did it. Really? Why is that?

Doing something new is frightening. I get it. But is it so much more frightening than making the same mistake over and over and getting the same result? Are you so paralyzed by fear that you can’t get out of your comfort zone long enough to do something that might actually work? Choice A is something you know will fail. Choice B is something that might fail or might work. Looks like a 50/50 proposition to me.

As a fall back you can always go back and do the crazy thing…the thing you keep doing to no success.

Step up. Try something new. Be willing to fail. Be willing to learn from your mistakes. It is where wisdom lives.

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

Sunday Story…Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

There’s an old joke that goes like this:
How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb?
Only 1 but the light bulb has to really want to change!

In general, we only change when we want to. We have the ability to change or shift our attitude, our appearance, or our skills. But we have to want to change. We have to make a decision to change and then we need to take action to effect that change.

The changing isn’t the problem. In many ways, changing is the simple part. Decide to change. Make a plan. Do work. Pretty simple.

But the real challenge is the wanting to. You have to want to change…badly. Because it may be simple but it isn’t easy.

The desire to change is what makes change possible. You gotta want it.

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

Sunday Story…Where’s Your Lane?

Most of us drive from here to there and we do it often. We know when the best time and the route are to get where we want to go as quickly as possible and with a little stress as possible. But, invariably, things can go wrong. There’s an accident, a slow down, an obstacle in the road that impedes everyone’s progress. It’s unpredictable and unfortunate.

It would be nice if I had my own lane. I could just cruise to my destination and not worry about who else is traveling in the same direction. Smooth sailing the entire trip! Nice!

What’s my point? If I just want to go along and get along I can hit the tollway along with all the other cars and deal with all the “stuff” that goes along with that choice. If I want to make a difference, if want to make an impact I am going to need my own lane. It is way too hard to stand out, to move with alacrity and deftness, and get real results following the crowd.

If I want to stand out I need to create my own lane of travel. I can take my team, other people can follow in my lane but I am going to need my own lane, not the one most traveled.

Make your own lane and then use it.

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

Sunday Story…Like a Moth

To Flame. Drawn to the light or the heat or? Moths (all of them) have no agency in that process…they will go to the flame. It’s an automatic response. Turn on your outdoor lights and boom! Bugs flock to the light. No choice.

You have a choice. You are drawn to things that give you the “hit” you want or need. Is it some endorphin drop? Is it a hedonistic hit? Is it a danger? Is it safety? It doesn’t matter what it is, what satisfaction or drive you derive from the activity you are going to do what is takes to get there.

You aren’t a moth. We are all NOT driven to the same thing. But we are driven. The question is whether you are driven to something that serves you well or not so well.

Be driven to the things that will give you what you seek. Not the things that give you what you want. There is a difference. The trick is in knowing what that difference is!

Drive is important but aimless drive is self defeating. Be a moth to the flame you choose.

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

Sunday Story…Competition and you

Have you ever wondered why after McDonald’s builds a restaurant on one corner, it won’t be long before there is another fast food restaurant on the corner across the way? And then another will pop up, and then another until the area seems saturated with every flavor of food. The same thing happens with gas stations, restaurants, hotels and lots of other things. I can’t remember the last time I got off the freeway for gas and only had 1 choice of filling station.

Yet the biggest competition is none of the above. Inaction, not getting off the exit means I won’t be choosing any of the restaurants or gas stations. Inaction is a choice. No competition means fewer results.

Competition is a choice. It is a healthy choice when managed correctly. It isn’t winning at any and all cost. It is a mechanism for improvement. Choosing not to compete is also a choice. Unfortunately the baggage that comes with that choice will hold you back from realizing what brought you here in the first place.

You don’t have to win but you do need to compete. It’s healthy and it’s one of the mechanisms that help us improve and get better.

Choose to compete.

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

Sunday Story…Portion

Control.

When we talk about nutrition, one of the most important elements is “portion control.” You can try to “eyeball” the size of your portions but that is completely inaccurate. You can guess or estimate but then you are probably going to be wrong there too. You could just fill your plate and then eat until you are done but that’s a recipe for disaster!

Weigh your food. That is the only way to know exactly what your portion is. You weigh 8 ounces and you eat 8 ounces. You can use a smaller plate if you think that will help but, really, just weigh it out. The portion is the portion is the serving size. Control comes in before…when you decide you are going to eat the exact amount of food. Control comes in after…when you decide not to eat more than the amount you determined was the correct amount.

Portion control is less about portion and more about control. Control is about discipline. Discipline is about holding yourself accountable. Control is about making sure you have your gym clothes ready when you leave in the morning. Control is showing up to do the work. Portions are just an arbitrary measure.

Where else do you need more control over your portions? Because this isn’t really about food is it?

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

Sunday Story…The Other

Marathon.

Most of the time, when we think about running a marathon, we think of a crowd of people, getting a bib number, planning for months or years in advance, training daily, weekly to get ready to run. On race day we show up, get corralled with scores of other intrepid souls, wait for the starting gun and then ALL of us head off on the same route. At the finish, we are celebrated, photographed, and commemorated for our accomplishment. Along the way, there’s water, food, and encouragement in abundance.

The Other Marathon is more common. This is the one most of us are doing most of the time. Alone. No fawning crowds, no roadside assistance, no way stations, no medals hung about the neck, no starting gun, no fans at the finish line…Alone.

A marathon is hard. It is a big goal, a mountain to climb. The Other Marathon is harder. It’s still big but it has the additional burden of loneliness. When you embark on your fitness journey, a new career path, a new nutrition regimen there is no crowd to clap you across the start line and very few people to cheer you along your route.

Strap your shoes on. Start your clock and take that first step. It may be hard, it may be lonely but it will be worth it in the end. You are enough.

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

Sunday Story…Muscle Memory

Is not really a thing. I talk about it like it is a thing. I act like your biceps have a brain but, really, it doesn’t. It does what it does when you tell it to do what it is you want it to do. Then it stops doing that thing until you tell it to do another thing.

So, what am I saying when I talk about muscle memory? What do I want you to “get” about that phrase? I want you to internalize your movement. In other words, I want you to understand, to be so comfortable and habituated with that particular movement that you no longer have to consciously engage your brain to accomplish the task at hand. It happens by heart.

This is the process…I learn a new movement, task, method…then I repeat it…over and over and over…until, finally, I no longer have to say to my body do this, then this, then this…it has become part and parcel of my doing. When you have done that, the thing will become you.

Know things by heart. In other words, know them so well that they become part of you. What stories are you telling yourself that have become part of your heart? Are they the stories you want to have be you? If not it’s time to go to work and learn some new stories…by heart.

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

Sunday Story…Weather

Changes. We all know and expect this. The song I am listening to now will end at some point and another will start. The storm will pass but there will be another at some point.

When your children are babies and you are changing diapers all day long, you know there’s a point where that will stop. But you will exchange that status quo for another…the fearsome fours, the angst-ridden teens, the rebellious young adults.

The normal is change. It has always been the usual state of affairs. There is no point where everything stops changing. There is only the calm before the storm and then there is the respite between the storms.

Change is the chaos of now. Change is usual and normal. Change is neither good nor bad, it just is.

Embrace the chaos of now, of change, of new beginnings, of the normality of shift.

Shift happens. Deal with it.

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

Sunday Story…Come or Go

Stay or Leave

Some places are designed to have you stay a while, hang out and enjoy. Other places are designed to send you along your way, they are a way station, a junction where you make a right or left and then head out to your new destination. Yet other places try to trap you into never leaving.

You can be on your way somewhere, you can be on your way here or you can be looking for a place to park. Come or go. Stay or leave. Your choice.

The question is this: Which are you doing? Are you sure? When you “Google” something you are on your way to someplace else. Go to Facebook and you will find yourself in a whirlpool swirling around until you pry yourself loose. A website you planned on visiting will capture you for a short while until your business is finished. 3 different trips, 3 different intentions, 3 different results. All are good.

This is also about what you are doing on a daily basis in your life. Where are you parked? Where are you passing through and where are you stuck? And why? Do you even know?

Maybe you should try being a little more intentional about your journey. Just saying.

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

Sunday Story…Finish Well

We are often exhorted to “begin with the end in mind”. In other words, if you start you should have some idea or plan about how you are going to finish.

Starting a book? What’s your plan to finish? Got a story to tell? How does it end? Going to begin a new eating plan? How will you know if it’s working? How will you know when to stop or shift to something else? I have a fixed starting point…I should have a fixed endpoint as well.

Starting is magical. Walking through the door for the first time can begin an amazing journey. Staying on the journey can be transformative. And finishing can be magical as well…as long as you get to do it on your own terms.

We are all going to die. It’s the agreement we have in being born. Sooner or later this journey will end. Will I have prepared for my demise well? Will my wishes be clearly designated? Will the people who need to know things know the things they need to know?

Embrace the start as well as the finish. They are equally important.

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

Sunday Story…The Tyranny of Authenticity

Is it Authentic? What makes it so? Why does it matter?

Is that little hole in the wall restaurant more authentic than the big national chain? Why? Does having an ethnic looking clientele make one place more authentic than another? What happens when I go to an Asian restaurant and all the cooks are Latino? Authentic or not?

I know people who think that an Italian restaurant that does not offer canoli it isn’t authentic. My mother learned to cook Italian at the apron strings of my Italian grandmothers and aunts. I still haven’t seen her make canoli. She does however make a mean biscotti! I have made canoli (it’s a serious pain in the butt!) but never biscotti so am I more authentic than my mother?

Authentic is an excuse you are using to justify your position. I only do this if it is authentic. I won’t go there…it isn’t authentic. Maybe authentic isn’t the right question.

Maybe a better question is…is it good? Or is it right? Or do I feel good about it? Authentic is what you make of it and what I consider authentic may not agree with your definition. But we should be able to agree on what is right and good.

Don’t be held hostage by the tyranny of authentic. Free yourself to enjoy the things you enjoy…authentic or not.

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

Sunday Story…Success isn’t Permanent

And Failure isn’t Fatal. Yet both things feel as if they might be.

We get uncomfortable and, as a small child, think it is the “new normal.” That this discomfort is going to last forever. It isn’t. It will last for some period of time and then it will be over. The question is whether or not you will quit. Whether or not you will accept the fact that this uncomfortableness will end soon.

Sometimes when everything is going along swimmingly we get complacent and think this is the “new normal.” That everything will always be coming up roses and we can get a little lazy with our resources, our squander our goodwill because there is always more. Success isn’t permanent and if you think it is you will be quickly disabused of that notion.

Other times it looks like nothing is going to work and you will be forever stuck in the rut you are currently in. All of your present difficulties will be forever yours. Failure isn’t fatal and you are never stuck in one place.

Like most things, if you believe it, it will most probably come to pass. If you believe one of those things then you don’t have to stay engaged, you don’t have to fight through the failure or the discomfort or keep improving your success.

It might be hard (or easy) but it isn’t forever.

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

Sunday Story…Avoidance is not

The answer.

I am not great at everything. Actually, I am not great at a lot of things. You could even say I am great at very few things. My level of competence is what it is…until I decide to do something about it.

That is the question: What will I do about those places where I am not great? What will I do about the places where I don’t have the will, desire, or commitment to become great?

I suppose I could utilize the head in the sand ploy. You know the one…you ignore your incompetence. Do whatever it is poorly, hope no one notices, and pretend you didn’t do it so badly.

Or you could go head to head. Face your incompetence with zeal and enthusiasm. Talk about it. Look for resources that will increase your competence. Find someone or a band of someones who will support and challenge you to get better. Look for new and better ways to get where you want to be.

The first choice…avoidance…is never going to increase your competence. At least in the second, you are pretending to be more grown up.

Want competence? Face the facts, look for answers, do the work. Simple, not easy.

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

Sunday Story…The Snooze Button

Is not your friend. It is a trap, a flawed strategy to attempt to re-use time. In other words you have decided to decide later which is a decision in and of itself. And that decision cost you time and energy only to decide later.

Your alarm has a snooze button. Rather than arise you hit the button, thus putting off the inevitable…after all you are going to get up sooner or later. Your decision to decide later has consequences. Maybe you will oversleep and be late, maybe you will have to skip your shower or your breakfast. That decision creates a cascade of other choices that may no longer be available because of that first, seemingly minor decision, to hit the snooze.

It isn’t as if you need more information…you need to get out of bed. Sometimes putting off the decision makes sense when you need or are going to get more data to help with that decision.

Decide once and move on. Open the email, respond, and discard…let it go from your consciousness. Otherwise it ends up on an ever-growing pile of decisions you decided to make later.

Later is now. In or out, yes or no, move on…it is a habit. Snooze is not your friend. Jettison it!

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

Sunday Story…to GPS or Not to GPS

That is the question.

Most of us have come to rely on our devices for information…maps tells me how to get to my destination, contacts remembers phone numbers, and Google, well Google, knows everything. But what if you are on your way home and your device fails? Will you be up a creek with no paddle? How will you get home? You can’t call anyone (device failed!). The guy at the gas station has no clue, maybe, if you are lucky, someone will look it up for you and show you how to get home.

Or you can follow your compass. A compass is that little handheld ancient instrument that shows you what direction you are going. Most of us haven’t seen one in years but I bet your device has an app you can get! While your compass won’t tell you to turn left at the next intersection it will make sure you are headed in the right direction.

So…what is your compass telling you about the direction of your life? My device doesn’t have a cute little map telling me when to switch careers, get married, have kids, go back to school, or open a business. But you have an internal compass…it tells you when things are right or wrong or need an adjustment. Unfortunately, too many of us have lost our bearings, we are forgetting to check in with our compass and make sure life is heading in the direction we want it to head.

I guarantee you will get somewhere if you keep going but it may not be where you want to end up. Check-in, set your course and correct it along the way…you never know when your device will fail!

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

Sunday Story…More isn’t better

Better is better.

I am often asked how many more people we would like to have in our little business here. The answer is, generally, more. But that is an incomplete answer. I don’t want just more breathing bodies.

I want better. People who expect better. People who will give better. People who will show up to be better. People who are willing to help everyone else to be better. People who want better from themselves and the world around them. People who enjoy watching others get better.

Out digital world is trying to teach us that more is better but it really isn’t. More followers, more likes, more friends, more, more, more, but more isn’t the answer. I can only handle so much more. Better is better.

So give me people who want more respect, more exclusivity, more trust, more interest, and more attention. That’s the more I want.

Give me more better.

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

Sunday Story…Letting Go

One of the toughest lessons to learn is to let go.

Let go of ideas that will never bear fruit in favor of ideas that are going to mature and yield results. Let go of preconceptions in order to see what actually is there. Let go of who you think you are in order to become who you really are. Let go of the lost cause to find the one that isn’t lost yet.

We become fixated and invested in certain things that look like great ideas but because of our tunnel vision, we can’t see that they have become inviable. Think of the inventor who has a new buggy idea just when the horse and buggy is dying. He misses the opportunity he could have exploited in the nascent automobile industry. He is holding on when he should let go.

Holding on to a lost cause, idea, or thought process is a lot like holding on to anger, jealousy, or envy…It might feel good for a while but eventually, you will become exhausted carrying a load that serves no purpose.

Put it down and pick up something that will move you forward…whether it’s a new goal, lifestyle choice, or thought process. You’ll be glad you did!

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

Sunday Story…The Best Time

To plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.

If you really want shade from a tree you need to have planted it a while ago. If you wait to plant it now you are going to pay a very large sum of money to get a tree planted that is big enough to provide shade. On the other hand, if you try to sit in the shade of the sapling you can afford today you will find that shade very elusive.

This is a basic principle…do the things you need to do to get ahead of the curve and then keep doing them so you stay ahead. It’s way cheaper, much more satisfactory and, if you do it right, you will have enough to share with lots of other people.

Thus if you get ahead of the curve and stay ahead of the curve you will always have enough shade. But if you don’t you won’t ever have enough shade.

Plant your tree before you want the shade and then nurture it to keep the shade coming.

It really is simple when you think about it. It just isn’t easy (as usual!)

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

Sunday Story…Priorities

All too often I hear people say they “can’t” do something, or they can’t seem to get a task done. They assume, for some odd reason, that they are incapable or too inept or too stupid to accomplish the task in front of them.

This is almost always untrue. You are smart enough or capable enough. You learn new things a lot. When you learned to walk you fell down. Often. And you got up…over and over and over again. And now look at you!

It isn’t that you are too dumb to learn it or incapable, it’s that you are afraid, lazy or ill-informed. You can choose to stay that way if you want. You can choose to assume you are dumb.

The likely answer is that your priorities are not matched with the task at hand. Learning Spanish isn’t terribly difficult and I’m not stupid. But I haven’t made it a priority…yet. Maybe you haven’t made your diet a priority…yet. Maybe it’s your fitness or your finances. You aren’t dumb or incapable. You just have a different set of priorities that aren’t matched up with the tasks.

You get to decide what’s important. You get to set your priorities according to the tasks you really want to accomplish. They are yours not mine.

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

Sunday Story…Change is Inevitable

Growth is Optional

Change is in the wind here at Odyssey. You’ve seen the new “closet” and the TV moved down. Pretty soon all the wods and results will be showing up on that TV…so no more whiteboard!

We are shifting from Box Command to Wodify. You already have a Wodify account we have established for you. You will get an email soon telling you all about that change. Along with that, your billing will show up as “WP* Odyssey Fitness” but the billing should go on as it has in the past. But we will be watching to make sure it happens like it is supposed to!

This change is another way we are trying to enhance your experience! This should be a better way to track your results. This should be a better way for you to sign in to class and reserve a place and do everything else (both on your phone and on the kiosk where the TV is. We are looking forward to having more interactive features with this change.

We believe Wodify will be a better experience for you the athlete. We believe Wodify will give Odyssey more reports and better tracking for our athletes. We think Wodify will help us grow into an even better box than we are now!

Keep a look out for that email early next week and we are going to try to migrate around the 1st of the month!

Grow with us! Things will always change but you get to decide if you want to grow with the change!

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

Sunday Story…Faucet or Drain

As we have discussed, the only real freedom you have, the only freedom that can never be taken from us is the freedom to choose our attitude.

That being said, are you choosing to be a faucet or a drain?
Is your self talk negative and judgmental?
Is it positive and uplifting?
Are you draining energy from yourself and the world around you?
Or are you a pipeline of positive energy and possibility?

These are choices. When you get up in the morning what do you say to yourself? Is it, “I’m tired? I’m cranky. I hurt?” Or is it, “I’m strong. I’m powerful. I rock?”

What about the people around you? Who are they choosing to be?

Be a faucet or be a drain. Your choice. And your choice who you want to be hanging out with.

John Mariotti
www.crossfitodyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
775-338-2412
(Thanks to Seth Godin for today’s inspiration!)

Sunday Story…Growth vs. Fixed

Your mindset is the most important component of your success and well being. According to Viktor Frankl the only real freedom we have, the only one that can never be taken from us is the freedom to choose our attitude.

Too many of us get stuck in a “fixed” mindset. In other words, we are in an endless feedback loop that looks and sounds like this: there is nothing I can do about my future, things are out of my control, why do all the bad things happen to me, why bother. This negative self-talk puts all of the control externally…outside of you.

Compare this with a “growth” mindset where the feedback loop may look more like this: I determine my future, I make things happen, and I can do more…this thought pattern keeps all of the control internally…within my grasp.

A fixed mindset is a learned mindset. We get it from our experiences and from input from our families, teachers, and others. We are conditioned to think and be this way. Learned helplessness is not genetic or innate. We can re-condition our thinking. We can change negative self talk to positive. We can shift and change…if we choose to.

Given a choice, doesn’t it make more sense to be kind to yourself? To say nice things? To build yourself up? To take control of your attitude and make things happen?

Choose your attitude, change your life.

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

Sunday Story…the Cocoon

Way back when you were a wee child, you learned new things all the time. It didn’t matter that you weren’t very good at them for a while. Eventually, you got better. You wanted the outcome (I Can Walk!) and the struggle to get there was far outweighed by the desire to get the outcome.

And now, some decades into learning new stuff, I may be a little tired of the feeling that comes along with the process of learning new stuff. I want the outcome but now the journey looks much more difficult.

The journey really isn’t any more difficult…think about learning to walk…you fell down innumerable times…that’s hard, picking yourself up time after time. No, now the problem is I don’t like feeling incompetent. Unfortunately, if I want to grow I am going to have to get uncomfortable.

The process is something like this:
1. I realize something can be done.
2. I realize I can’t do it
3. I get better at doing it if I am willing to keep after it.

Step 2 is where things get messy. That’s the grey mess of the transformation cocoon. It’s frustrating, difficult and uncomfortable. But the growth and transformation make it worth the struggle.

I Can Walk!!!!

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

Sunday Story…You Can Always

Do more than you think you can. Can you really? How does that work anyway?

Your mind is the limiting factor in anything. How does an ordinary person in a stressful situation act with superhuman strength? The mind would say no, there is no way I can do that and logically it would be right. If I look at your body I might say your mind is right. Yet we are regaled time after time with stories of amazing feats of human achievement.

Your mind is a powerful tool, yet it will force you to stop before you are really done. This is a self-protection device. Your mind is in charge of making sure your body can rise again tomorrow. It won’t let you go over the edge if it can stop you.

Yet I see often people going further than their mind would tell them they can. What is this device? What is it that has me override the brake telling me to stop and continue on?

Will. My will can override my mind. I can will 1 more rep, pick myself up 1 more time, do what my mind said was impossible.

The cultivation of will is a practice. The stronger your will the more your mind becomes the tool of the will. I can impose my will on myself.

Will yourself to do more than you think you can.

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

Sunday Story…Fit and Healthy

Not all fit people are healthy. Not all healthy people are fit. It is a dichotomy of our modern lives.

It used to be that if you were healthy you would be relatively fit. You worked outside, carried, lifted, and engaged in physical activity. There wasn’t much choice. If you wanted to survive you had to be fit. On the flip side, if you weren’t fit you probably weren’t very healthy either…sickly, predisposed to ailments and generally in poor humor.

The goal is to find the perfect (for you) blend of those 2 things. What does healthy AND fit look like to you? 6-pack abs? Doable. Run a marathon? OK. Coach your kid’s soccer team? Done. Learning new skills or languages? Nice. Having fulfilling social interactions? Wonderful.

I define fitness in a broad, general and inclusive way…increased work capacity over broad time and modal domains. To put it more simply…the ability for my body to do what I want, when I want and however fast I want. This doesn’t mean I am unrealistic; I do have some limiting factors that are out of my control.

I define health in a similar way…health is the state of physical, mental and social well being. It is not just the absence of sickness or injury. I need to not just be healthy in my body but in my mind and in my relationships as well.

Now how are you going to get fit and healthy? That is the million dollar question, isn’t it? Maybe we can help…

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

Sunday Story…You and

Your Health.

You notice that this title starts with You. Your health is up to you. You can’t take it for granted. You can’t just go along fat dumb and happy and expect to enjoy stellar movement, strength, and fitness without taking things into your own hands.

Your doctor is great when you are sick, have a broken part or need to be put back together. But your doctor has neither the time nor energy to assist your pursuit of optimum health. In general, they are too busy and too overwhelmed with sick people to help healthy people. So in a world full of conflicting opinions, differing metric markers and internet charlatans what do you do?

First, eat real food. Eat quantities that fuel your performance, not your fat storage. Avoid chemical sh** storms, artificial whatsis, and added sugars. Eat lots of protein and green stuff.

Second, move it or lose it. If you don’t move you will lose the ability to move. Anything will work but some things work better than others. Pick up heavy stuff and move it…your bones will thank you. More really fast sometimes, rest a bit and repeat, again and again.

Third, be your own best arbiter of health. No one number can determine if you are skinny or fat. You decide if you like the way your clothes fit. You decide if the person looking back at you in the mirror is everything you want them to be. You and only you get to make that call.

Need help? Call us!

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

Sunday Story…It’s Magic!

Or not. There is a hilarious YouTube video about why you can’t use a cell phone on an airplane. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYAq-7sOzXQ.

There are lots of things that appear magic to us…weight loss, fitness, rocketry, bread making, electricity…but they really aren’t magic at all. Just because you don’t understand it doesn’t make it magic.

I don’t understand electricity but I love the fact that the lights come on when I hit the switch. Just because I can’t explain the science behind flight doesn’t mean I won’t get on an airplane. And you don’t have to know all the ins and outs of fitness to know you are more fit than before.

You don’t have to make up some story about why it works but if you need to you can. You don’t have to cower and run when the lights come on, a plane takes off or you hit a snatch PR. You just have to take it on face value that it is working and your understanding of the thing has nothing to do with the efficacy.

Sometimes magic works.

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

Sunday Story…Hierarchy

Of Needs.

We are fortunate to live in a time and place where most of our basic physiological needs are easily met. Most of us have food, shelter, and clothing. We are safe, and secure, have relationships and places we belong, and things we do that bring us joy.

The top of the pyramid…the self-actualization piece is a little more difficult. It requires introspection, a willingness to look at yourself deeply and ask some intensive and uncomfortable questions…

What do you really want?
How do you want us to remember you?
What legacy are you building?
Are you living your purpose, on purpose?
If today was your last day, have you said all that needed to be said, told all the stories you had to tell, gave the world the gifts you were here to deliver?

No? Maybe it’s time. Maybe it’s overdue. What’s the stop? You needn’t worry about your basic needs or your psychological needs. So let’s get to work dancing on the top of the pyramid.

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