It doesn’t seem to matter how long it has been since I have been in school, years of years of fresh paper, pens and binders being carefully placed into a new backpack along with new goals of straight As has instilled in me this sense of a fresh start in September. I can’t be the only one who feels this way?
So in this fresh start of 2018 I have decided to dive into the world of yoga and I’m working on my 200 hour teacher training. Will I ever be a yogi? Probably not, but what I love about what I do is that there is always so much to know and research is forever growing and evolving. Why not learn about a way of moving that has been around for over 4000 years, right?
It’s been just over a week now of classes and there have been many things said as we work through the asana poses, but one thing in particular that I’ve heard has stayed with me and I wanted to share it here.
“Rather than comparing yourself to others today, compare yourself to who you were yesterday.”
Deep, right? This can mean a lot of things but I want to bring it into the world of fitness. Each and every one of us has compared ourselves to someone else and in my world it is pretty much a daily occurrence. “Her hair is so much prettier than mine” or “Why doesn’t my skin look like hers?” or “How is she working out so hard but doesn’t look tired?” or “I will never be as good as they are”.
If you are like me and you constantly compare yourself to others, you need to make the goal for this “new year” to stop doing that. When you are in your next workout or class, don’t even look at the person beside you. Instead, think of the person you were the last time you were there and pick one thing you want to improve on. Maybe this class you work your hardest for every torturous interval thrown at you. Or maybe you focus on being positive for the entire hour. Or maybe you work on bettering your technique. Whatever workout you are doing, and whatever you decide to focus on, take the opportunity to grow on who you were the time before.
There will always be someone faster than you or stronger than you or taller than you. But trust me when I say this that they are comparing themselves to you as much as you are to them. I have the perfect story for you to prove this.
Quite a few years ago I travelled to Kona, Hawaii to participate in a triathlon with a client of mine. We arrived to the transition area of the race while it was still dark to set ourselves up and get ready. I wasn’t really nervous for this event as I was there more for my client but I was still willing to give it my all. As I am setting up my bike, I look beside me and right there, doing exactly what I was doing, was Martina Navratilova, one of the great female tennis players of all time. I totally fangirled over her. Completely lost my cool as I told her how honored I was to be racing next to her. And you know what she does? She asks me if I am racing the entire triathlon or doing the relay. I tell her I am doing all of it and she says to me how much she admires me! How there is no way she could do an entire triathlon so she is just doing the relay and continues to say how she envies me. I’m losing my mind! I want to scream, “But you’ve won 18 singles Grand Slam titles, including 9 at Wimbledon!” Luckily I don’t, and I go out and race. I see her at the end of the race and she comes over to me, asks me how I did and again puts herself accomplishments down while acknowledging mine.
Next time you find yourself comparing yourself to someone, if thinking about your own growth maybe isn’t working for you, perhaps change the comparison to something more positive. Instead of saying I wish I had legs like that, simply admire how hard whomever you are looking at has worked to achieve what they have achieved? Make sense? Now, go take your new, back-to-school, workout wear and put it out so you are ready to kill your workout tomorrow. And like your teachers throughout your years of school I am always available for extra help! Send your questions to me here at [email protected].
