Sunday Story...2021

Most of us are not going to be sad to bid adieu to 2020. And that is certainly understandable. 2020 has been unprecedented in my memory for the challenges and obstacles it presented not only to us as individuals but to all of us as a society and culture. I am not going to re-list those challenges...it would be tedious and more than a little depressing. Suffice it to say, 2020 ended with far fewer promises fulfilled than it began with promises promised.

There are several descriptors I could use for 2020...interesting, tragic, painful, heart-rending, hard all come to mind. On the other hand, we found some things we had lost sight of, or things we allowed to be put on the back burner sacrificed to the altar of busy and self-absorbed. 

We found resilience, strength, and perseverance. We re-discovered the importance of family bonds and friendships. We re-worked how we work and reprioritized our to-do lists. We had to change the stories we tell ourselves when the greater world forced us to change them.

2021 is upon us. There is no going back nor is there a way back to the way we were before March 2020 ripped the facade off. We now know different ways...some better than others but certainly different. Will the way forward be smooth sailing? Of course not, has it ever been? It will be filled with ups and downs, starts and stops, fits of brilliance and pique. As it always has been no matter what we would like it to be.

You have no idea how strong you are until strong is the only choice you have.

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

Sunday Story…Ritual and Habit

We do many things because that’s the way we have always done them. There are very good reasons for this...it brings stability, gives us a foundation to build on, and creates a ritual around which we can find space to move ahead. 

I like rituals and habits, they feel comfortable and I find a certain freedom inside that keeps me on point for the tasks ahead. Inside the container allows for certain movement.

That being said, when those habits and rituals become an unthinking rote response are they truly serving their purpose? Are there other options, other new and more effective ways to achieve a better result? Or even more important, are we even using the same measurements to get to the same goal?

At what point do the habits and rituals get in the way of trying to get better or do better or be better? And at what point will we realize that our adherence to the usual way of doing things is standing in the way of real progress?

Opportunities abound if only we can look outside the wall of habits we have constructed around ourselves.

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

Sunday Story…5 Things

I often get questions about what can be done to improve fitness and health. Everyone wants a “magic pill.” That one thing you can do that will make everything better. I am sorry to tell you that there is NO magic pill. But I am going to give you 5 simple and easy things you can do to improve your health and fitness this year.

1.   Drink more water. This goes without saying but your body is made up of 70% water. Dehydration will decrease your performance whether in the gym or the boardroom. You won’t be as sharp or as strong as you could be without enough water. Aim for a gallon a day and you can include Gatorade or other things just not caffeinated beverages (they are diuretics!)

 Prioritize recovery.  Constantly pushing for new heights will only get you injured or sick. Your mind and your body need time to properly recuperate. Work smarter not harder!

3.   Stop Obsessing over Food. Eat real food. Eat food that is prepared with love and care. Eat it in an environment free of stress and strife. Use the 80/20 rule (I prefer 90/10) that says I will eat really healthy food 80% of the time and let the rest go. Stop eating before you are full.

 

4.   Sleep more. Make a sleep schedule and stick to it. Create healthy bedtime rituals…just like you may have done for your children. Make one for yourself as well. Start tracking how you are sleeping…if you measure it you can manage it!

 

5.   Visit your medical professional for regular check-ups. I have to admit this is one I don’t do. I will do better this year! This is an early warning system for your health. Doing this may head off any unforeseen issues.

 

There you are…5 simple and easy things you can easily do to improve your health and fitness.

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412 

Sunday Story…I will Survive

It’s that time of year (again!) when we assess all the things that went right and maybe not so right over the last 12 months. And what a ride it has been.

 

Can you even remember what January and February were like? Those pre-CoVid months when the year was young and the promise was new. The major thing looming was an election in November.  Then the world went topsy-turvy. All bets were off. Each one of us had to face things we never imagined before.

 

And we did. If there were no pandemic 2020 still would have been a year for the ages. An election, civil unrest, political machinations all took place in spite of a raging pandemic that turned lives inside out. And it isn’t over yet. We may still be faced with months of unknown turmoil. Sucks.

 

Yet here we are…adapting, moving forward, finding new ways of getting life done. We humans are amazing creatures. Over the ages we have faced down many challenges to our continued existence. And here we are.

 

Evolution is not the survival of the fittest. It is the survival of the most adaptable, the most resilient. Those are the humans that will emerge from this year, these months of turmoil and unknown challenges.

 

When I look forward to 2021 I know I am stronger for the things 2020 threw my way. And I know no matter what 2021 puts in front of me I will adapt and I will survive.

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com    

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com 

775-338-2412

 

 

Sunday Story…Motivation

We humans are an odd lot. One of the most common things I hear is, “I need some motivation.” It isn’t like I have a bucket full of motivation to dump on your head. So what are we really saying when we ask for more motivation?

 

Motivation, generally, comes in two flavors…the carrot or the stick…punishment, or reward. I can be motivated by fear…something bad will happen if I don’t do X. Conversely, I can be motivated by the promise of reward…If I do X I will get Y. the problem is that both of these things are fleeting. Once I get the reward or punishment the motivation is gone unless I want more reward or am afraid of the bad things happening again. Sooner or later, though I’ll get tired of either or both. Thus the “I need motivation request.”

 

True motivation isn’t found outside of us. That will always disappear after a certain amount of time. True motivation is derived from a deep knowledge that what you get from the activity isn’t the results but the process of doing. This deep knowledge takes time to develop, I can’t say a few magic words and there it is. You need to believe that the activity will be its own reward. Your mindset has to discover the reward inside the doing. Once that happens motivation is automatic.

 

It isn’t the destination that is the reward; it is the journey to get there.

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

 

   

Sunday Story…the Heart of the Matter

It is often said we are defined by the questions we ask. Way past the who, what, where, and why is the heart of the matter. Those deep philosophical questions have us pondering our place in the universe, our relationship to the other humans around us, or how we can impact the world we live in.

Yet, my answers and yours are seemingly different, contradictory even. But these are deep, important, and impactful questions. How are we going to reconcile those opposing, warring answers? 

We aren’t. It isn’t my job to change your mind. It isn’t my job to convince you. It isn’t even my job to be right. My job and yours is to have a deep, thoughtful, and thought-provoking discussion about questions that matter to all of us. I want to listen and seek to understand your point of view. 

And when the discussion is over and we have exhausted all of the turns and dead ends we can still love one another. I love and cherish our differences. The answers matter less than the discussion...it isn’t the destination but the journey that matters.

“Wouldn’t it be a real drag if we were all the same?”

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

Sunday Story...Content

 In this case, I mean what lies within…in other words what lies within your coffee cup? Coffee? Tea? Whiskey?  

 

We are all different. We all have similar outcomes we are striving for…love, health, financial security, things of that nature. Most humans have similar needs in those areas. Some of us may place a higher priority on some things than others and those priorities are bound to change over a lifetime. But most humans have similar needs.

 

I care about the content of your character. Are you kind? Truthful? Can you be trusted to do what you say you are going to do when you say you are going to do it? Do you treat others with respect? Are you a person of your word? Do you value people over things?

 

There is no label on this. Judge me on the content of my character, not some made-up pigeon hole you think I belong in. At the same time, the content of my character is revealed by my words and my actions. Spewing hatred and vitriol reveals things about me regardless of my religion, race, class, or ethnicity. As a matter of fact, if you listen carefully I will tell you exactly what my content is.

 

So…what did your words and actions say about you today?

 

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

Sunday Story…Between the Lines

It is often said that music lives in the spaces between the notes. In those places where there is rest, music gets defined. It is an oddity.

 

This is also often true of human communication. The real communication lies underneath the actual words, in what is not being said. The art of reading between the lines is not taught. It is only because somewhere along the way someone (usual the writer) points out what they really meant when they wrote or said what they wrote or said. Too often we are left to be a better guesser in this arena of human communication.

 

Expecting me to be a better guesser is a foolish game. Years ago I was told to “say what you mean and mean what you say.” If I do that I leave nothing to chance…you don’t have to guess at what I mean. It should be crystal clear by my words. That is the goal of communication…to give my reader or listener a precise picture of what I am saying or writing.

 

Next time you say or write something, ask yourself…”am I clearly and concisely telling this person what it is I want them to know or learn from my words?” If the answer is anything but a resounding yes then try again.

 

Message sent is NOT message received. And it is incumbent on the sender to make sure the receiver gets the exact message I have sent.

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

Sunday Story…Right or Connected?

Every time I answer an email, make a comment on a blog, engage online, or have a conversation I have an opportunity to make a connection. Or to create strife and disconnection. I can open up possibilities or I can close off any hope.

 

I can make my argument, spew my answer (which is the one right true answer) all over or I could ask a question and seek to understand.

 

We often confuse being mean or cutting with being funny. Really all that does is create more disconnect. You might find it funny but the object of your remarks only finds hurt and disconnection. Using the excuse of “it’s only a joke” doesn’t mitigate the hurt or take the sting of your words away.

 

Once your words have escaped your mouth or your keyboard they are like an escaped animal…out of your control and in the wild. You can’t take them back. Wouldn’t it be better to slow down and be measured in your responses?

 

You can be right or you can be connected but it is difficult to be both.

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

 

Sunday Story…Compete every Day

We seem to be obsessed with winning. Being the best. The GOAT…greatest of all time. Even if the competition is a small town pumpkin carving contest I want to Win, baby!

 

The facts, however, are simple. My pumpkin is not the best in the world. It might not even be the best in town. All it is is the best in the contest. It isn’t going to go to the Louvre; people are not going to give acclaim or a commission to do all the pumpkins next year. It’s just today’s best pumpkin.

 

I am going to compete with myself every day. That is the only contest that matters. Have I improved? Am I fitter? Am I stronger? Am I moving forward on my path? Is the me today the greatest me I can be?

 

The race I am running is first and foremost a race against me. Winning that race is the one that counts. Of course, the corollary to this is: Full effort is Full Victory. Did you give your best effort? Is today’s performance the best one you can deliver today? If not…do better tomorrow.

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

 

 

Sunday Story…Manners

It’s amazing what passes as acceptable these days. What we thought would never come to pass now is commonplace and mundane. We don’t even look up or raise our eyebrows at what was once a show-stopping display of boorishness.

 

I’m not sure how this has come to pass. It is as if sometimes we decided that manners didn’t matter anymore, it was okay to swear in public (let alone put it on a record for the world to listen to), and spitting on the sidewalk was smiled upon. Who would have thought we would have presidential candidates telling each other to shut up and interrupting each other to sling names at one another?

 

 

Why did we decide to compromise on these seeming simply displays of courtesy? Why do we not have the same disgust at acts of coarseness that we once had? I still refrain from dropping ‘f” bombs in my mother’s presence. I don’t chew with my mouth open.

 

It is past time to put some of these formerly unacceptable behaviors back in the unacceptable column. Let’s call bad boorish behavior out for what it is…bad and boorish. Bad language doesn’t indicate intelligence. It’s a symptom of laziness not to use a more appropriate word to mean the same thing.

 

Let’s stop allowing the unacceptable to be commonplace. The only way to do that is to call out bad behavior for what it is when it occurs. If we all do it we can make the world a kinder place.

 

In a world where you can be anything…Be Kind.

 

John Mariotti

www.sunday-story.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

Sunday Story…You Gotta Believe!

Every week I talk to someone who tells me they know exactly what they need to do in order to lose weight or get into shape, or whatever. And more often than not, they are exactly right.

 

And they are not doing it.

  

These are smart people. There is no rational reason for them not to participate in self-defeating or nonsensical behavior.  Yet there they are…not doing what they tell me (and themselves) they know they need to do. So...why?

In a word...Belief. If I don’t believe what I am saying, somewhere in the back of my mind, I will tell myself” it doesn’t matter. I don’t really care about (whatever the win is by changing the behavior) or the reward isn’t worth the effort it’s going to take to do it. You have to believe.

Once you believe and subsequently, find that your “Why” inspires you you will find doing the work much easier. At that point, your belief has been transformed to knowing.

And once you know...You do.

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

Sunday Story…Back on track

We often say “I need to get back on track.” I hear this often. What we mean by this is that somehow we have fallen off doing what we know we should, or what we really want to be doing. I have to be honest; when I hear this I am uninspired. It sounds like drudgery. We also say” I need to get back to work.”  Yuck, just yuck. I feel like I need to run screaming from that one.

 

Getting back on track screams boring. Getting back on track means getting back to the day to day, mind-numbing activities most of us run from.

 

Don’t get back on track. Don’t return to the day to day, mundane routine that was so easy to get away from.

 

Find the magic that put you on the path in the first place. Find the inspiration and creativity you got on the journey and put it back in play. Find the fire, find your why. Then forge ahead.

 

Get back to what inspires you. Get back to creating what needs to be created, what you need to make appear in the world. That’s your track.

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com    

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Story…Setbacks

         

 Are a part of life. If you are striving, if you are reaching for the next milestone, if you are growing then you will experience setbacks, failures, and challenges. It is part of the growth process. Grow, plateau, and make room to grow some more.

 

This is the natural path. It is the way the world works. If you aren’t growing you are dying but sometimes you need to take two steps back to make a giant leap forward.

 

Don’t let a setback keep you back.  Don’t let a temporary problem become a permanent solution. A plateau is a place to reset not a final destination.

 

Use your challenges to get stronger, to reassess your progress and your mission. Plan a new way forward, set your intention, and tackle the obstacles.

 

Setbacks are nature’s way of making you stronger. Without them, we become complacent and indolent. 

 

It isn’t what happens to you, it is what you do with what happens to you.

 

Now go forth and conquer.

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

 

 

Sunday Story…Change your Mind!

You have been on countless diets. You have tried numerous exercise programs. You have done first-year Spanish 6 times. You’ve gained all your weight back (and then some). Your fitness is still lacking. And your Spanish is woeful.

 

All is not lost. The problem isn’t the diet or the fitness program or the language teacher. The solution isn’t to find a better whatever. The solution isn’t to be stronger, find more willpower, or create a better solution. No, the solution is simpler than any of that…Change. Your. Mind.

 

Simple, not easy. Change your mind. Shift your thinking. Adjust how you mentally approach the challenge. You’ve tried everything else, haven’t you? Why not this? The answer to that question lies in your years of programming. The nonsense that you, other people, society, and culture have poured into your brain about who and what you are. “I’m the fat kid.” “I’m not the athletic one (that’s my brother or sister).” “I have a bad memory.” Nonsense until you believe it and then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

Changing your mind is real work. Maybe more work than all the sweat you will produce working out. The blueprints aren’t easy. You are going to have to fight against years of bad messages poured all over you.

 

Visualize who you want to be. Do it with the same focus and will power you use to stick to those other regimens. Become the person you want to become in your mind’s eye and the rest of you will follow.

 

Change your mind, change your life, and change the world.

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

Sunday Story...Important vs. Urgent

We are often told that we should focus on doing important tasks, not urgent ones. Urgent tasks are the ones right in front of us jumping up and down demanding our attention, whereas Important tasks are those that will move our vision and mission forward. Urgent tasks keep us from executing important tasks. This is the tyranny of “busy”. We are too busy to plan, too busy to “sharpen our ax” if you will.

Ths same principle applies to important conversations. Those conversations that are easy to argue about are too often provocative, irrelevant, and yes, urgent. If the conversation keeps turning back to in-person attacks, raised voices, or un-civil discourse it could be that the conversation is actually urgent and not important.

Important conversations require thought and nuance and civil discourse, an exchange of ideas, and a listening. If it is important I need to listen, digest, and ruminate on the ideas. Important tasks and conversations require our full attention and engagement.  

Urgent conversations are all about reaction, not careful consideration. Important conversations are all about listening, planning, and being proactive.

We need to have more important conversations, not less.

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

Sunday Story…Connections

As we drift deeper into what appears to be our “new normal” your priorities may have begun to shift a bit. In the first few weeks or months of this, we all waited for things to go back to the way they were. Now, 6 months later, we seem to be faced with the inevitable conclusion that life has shifted. It takes a bit longer to get anything done. Sure, Amazon is still delivering in a day or two but often what we want is out of stock or on backorder. “Just in time” may not exist anymore. 

 It seems that personal connections may be more important than ever before. It isn’t that they weren’t important before but now we have to work at them. It isn’t as easy as it was pre-COVID. Now we have to socially distance, maybe wear a mask, and who knows what else. But the things we have to work for mean more. The fruit at the top of the tree is sweeter. 

At the end of the day it isn’t the stuff we accumulate, the possessions we have, the house, cars, or riches. The true measure is the people we connect with, the people who touch our lives, and whose lives we impact. How we do that…in person, Face Time, zoom, or whatever is less important than the connection itself. 

Go out of your way to keep, find, and increase your connections. It’s the one thing that is a constant as long as you work at it. COVID has made it so we must work for those connections. We can no longer take them for granted. 

Reach out today and touch somebody. Both of you will be grateful you did. 

John Mariotti 

www.crossfitodyssey.com 

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com 

775-338-2412

Sunday Story…Oscar the Grouch

I am feeling cranky, grouchy, or irritated, with a dollop of anger on top. Not only that, but I am also entitled, I deserve to be this way. It’s my right! I mean look everyone should have the same level of vitriol, it’s obvious that anyone who sees or hears this would also feel exactly like I do.

Not. You get to feel the way you feel but I’m pretty sure it’s a choice, not an entitlement. I can certainly understand your feelings, I can even empathize with them. But if you really think you are entitled, that you deserve them, you might want to reconsider. Going all out and all in on your anger is not the best way to get the rest of us to truly understand what the problem is that you are seeing. Or why you are so lit up about it.

If you want to push me away or have me take an opposite position then spread your entitlement all over me. It will be an effective way for us to remain apart and not communicate. On the other hand, if you want to be understood, seek first to understand (by the way that’s Stephen Covey’s phrase, not mine!)

Be cranky if you want to or if you choose to but don’t expect the rest of us to go along with you. You can be right (and righteous) or you can be connected...It is difficult to be both.

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

Sunday Story…The Stories We Tell

Someone once said…”Man is a meaning making machine.” In other words we tell ourselves stories about what happened and then we make it mean something to us. This is integral to our experience as humans. I have my stories; the state I live in has stories, so does the country, so does my church or spiritual community, so does all the other people who look like me.

Stories make the world go around. But that is all they are…stories. Just made up narratives to give my life and the events of my life meaning. I remember having a conversation with my mother a while back about something that happened to me when I was a child. I shared it with her as a profound event in my life. She had no recollection of the occurrence even after I shared the entire thing. No recollection whatsoever. This is not terribly surprising since the stories I tell myself are my stories made up to give my life meaning.

Here’s my point…these stories are going to be told but the outside world doesn’t care. Gravity exerts the same force, the virus is going to infect people without regard, and the sun will rise and set no matter what the story is I am telling myself. These outside forces have no memories or stories, no knowledge or awareness of the force they are exerting. They just are.

So your stories are good and important…to you. They are part of the way you navigate the world. But for the rest of creation they just don’t matter.

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

Sunday Story…New Normal

Every now and then, in the course of human events, there is a shift. For those in the middle of the shift, it is imperceptible. But when viewed through the lens of history it is an obvious tectonic change. It becomes a time when everything becomes different.

This is that time. If we continue to hold on to the “way things were” and “getting back to normal” we may be consigned to the historical trash-heap doomed for extinction. Don't be one of those Luddites who refuse to see what is happening right in front of their face and is obvious in hindsight.

We can miss all the opportunities that are opening due to this shift. We can choose to open our eyes, minds, and hearts to the “what is possible” in this new paradigm. Or not, but it is a choice available to us…new ways of education, new ways to do business, new ways to find happiness, fulfillment, and connection. Or you can be the old guy on the corner wondering what happened to the perfect world of his memory.

Don’t be the frog getting cooked in increasingly hotter water. Hop on out and find a new pond!

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

Sunday Story…It’s Not You

We have all experienced rejection. You made an offer and the other person said No, thanks. You pitched a proposal and they weren’t interested. You asked her out and she said no.

Most of us take rejection personally. The person rejected me. They don’t like me. There’s something wrong with me. I am a failure.

In fact, rejection rarely has anything to do with you personally. They didn’t like the offer, weren’t interested in the project or didn’t have the money. Your proposal came at the wrong time, they already got what they needed, or it wasn’t the right fit. You asked her/him out not realizing they weren’t available or available at that time or weren’t interested in general (not you specifically).

None of those things have anything to do with you personally. You asked and someone said no. when you asked your mother for a cookie and she said no was your ego crushed? Of course not. You wanted a cookie but you weren’t invested in the cookie. You’ll ask again anyway.

Stop taking everything so personally. It isn’t about you, it’s about them. But keep asking, keep pitching, and one day the answer will be yes. But don’t take that personally either!

Behold the turtle. He gets nowhere without sticking his neck out.

John Mariotti
www.crossfitodyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com