I’m sure most of you have seen the new Wonder Woman movie by now (if not, stop what you’re doing and go see it!). Aside from all the incredible ass-kicking scenes (which, by the way, included some outstanding athletes from across the world), there were several powerful messages interlaced throughout the action. One of these messages carried the heavy weight of knowing full well that human beings are inherently flawed and yet not unworthy of being loved. I won’t ruin the ending for you, but as the movie comes to a close, Wonder Woman says, “It’s not about deserve, it’s about what you believe”.
So what does this have to do with fitness? I could answer that in many ways, but what resonates the most with me is the correlation with our “why” we do what we do. Whether you do MMA, bodybuilding, powerlifting, CrossFit, marathons, triathlons or some other sport, you have a reason and you have goals. I would venture to guess that what you believe about life lies somewhere deep in the foundation of your chosen fitness practice.
Maybe your “why” is your children or your spouse. Maybe your “why” is because two years ago you couldn’t even walk, much less run or squat 250 lbs. Maybe your “why” is because you had so many people telling you you’d never make it and you’re working to prove them wrong. Maybe your “why” is because you have always wanted to qualify for the Olympics or the CrossFit Games. Maybe your “why” is simply because you want to live a healthy lifestyle. Whatever the reason is, you don’t wake up every day and do it haphazardly or begrudgingly. Many people struggle with finding balance, and they get caught in the lie of believing they don’t “deserve” to have time to work out or work toward a goal because they should be working more or taking care of a child or another family member. If you are one of those people, let me ask you this, “How in the world do you expect to take care of someone else if you can’t take care of yourself?” Honestly, if we focus on how hard you work for others, then you actually do “deserve” some time for yourself. Deserve means to merit, qualify for or have a claim to (reward, punishment, aid, etc.) because of actions, qualities or circumstances. And if you can’t wrap your head around that, then it really boils down to what you believe. Believe means to have confidence in the truth, existence, reliability, or value of something or to hold as an opinion. Either way, the decision is up to you. No one else is going to, nor do they have the right to, decide whether or not your fitness goals are a priority.
If you’re like me, it’s a lot easier to focus on what you believe than what you deserve. In fact, I recently felt I didn’t deserve to be a part of the HMB, BetaTOR or PEAK ATP teams since I haven’t been able to reach my goals or make impressive moves in such a long time. Those of you who follow these teams have seen the stellar line up of athletes we have…I wasn’t feeling like I “fit the bill”. Then I received some encouraging words from the team marketing coordinator.
“Regardless of everything that’s been going on in your life we would still love to have you on the team and be a part of the group. I still think you have a ton to offer and even writing about it would be awesome because I can guarantee there are plenty of people that can relate to that. No one is on their A game 100% of the time and sometimes we need a break and then we can regroup and come back even stronger!”
As I read her words, I was humbly grateful for her support and the reminder that it really is about those who believe in you and what you believe about yourself. The latter is often much harder for us, and you have to choose to dwell on the positive truths in order to overcome the struggle. I encourage my own children, my students, my clients, my family and my friends to rise above and believe that they are incredible creations and that fighting for what they believe is paramount.
Here’s what I believe…
“It’s not about deserve, it’s about what you believe.” —Wonder Woman
So what DO you believe?
- Tate Fisher, CrossFit Athlete