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!)