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3 reasons CrossFit can make you a better entrepreneur
The rise of the CrossFit gym did something pretty awesome for the average human(not a professional athlete).
It brought something that resembles the performance-based training used to train professional athletes to us all. Now we get to suffer together like the best in the business ;)
If you haven’t taken a CrossFit class, here is the general premise:
You are put through an exercise circuit with roughly 3–5 different exercises which you complete non-stop for a set time period. The goal is to get as many reps as possible (AMRAP) in the given period of time.
It’s gritty and it’s difficult.
So why does this make me a better entrepreneur/ business owner?
1. It teaches you the value of suffering collectively.
“But there was no need to be ashamed of tears, for tears bore witness that a man had the greatest of courage, the courage to suffer.”
― Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
One of the first things I noticed at a cross fit gym was that no matter his or her skill level or cardiovascular shape, everyone suffered through the exercise. The only comfort I found in my own pain was that everyone else in the gym was experiencing that pain with me and pushing through it.
I don’t typically like to use the word, “magical”, but there is def something magical about the collective energy of a room full of people pushing themselves to the limit.
Being an entrepreneur can be very lonely, and at times it can feel like you are stuck suffering alone. Which is why, like your exercise buddies in the gym, you need to find your tribe! A tribe to grind with as you each build your dreams is just as magical as a bunch of sweaty people in a gym — if not more magical ;)
Humans are empathetic creatures. When we are in a room with people who are electively suffering to push their minds and bodies we feed off their energy. So it’s not just magic, it’s chemical (remember, emotions like empathy are brain chemicals 🤓).