Starting As A Dirt-Poor, Stinky Rollerblader
Mad Men Sunday Nights
Yes, it’s Mad Men Sunday. Had a few drinks. Feeling pretty nice right now. My God, what a brilliant episode. Yes, a few things were fucked up, especially towards the end. Regardless, I was pretty blown away by the actual marketing-related scenes. Great ep.
Enough about Mad Men…so how the hell does this relate to CrossFit?
Jon Hamm, the Dirt Poor, Stinky Rollerblader
Alright, so I just watched this clip from Conan where Jon Hamm, the guy who plays the lead role of Don Draper, on Mad Men. For those of you who don’t watch the show, Don is basically the typical alpha male set in the 1960s.
You’d think the guy playing Don was some star for quite some time, right?
Wrong.
Check out the interview here:
For you lazy shitheads, here are the Sparknotes of the interview: Jon was your typical starving actor in LA, and it took him years for his big break on Mad Men. Seriously, the guy had to drive an ’86 Corolla for some time (hits home cause my first car was a ’97 Corolla), which was then taken by the city for his endless stream of late parking tickets. So he took the bus, and when he was close enough to his audition or wherever he had to go, Jon ROLLERBLADED to the place.
Inspired Yet?
When you think of Jon Hamm and his work, you think the guy just had instant success. It obviously didn’t happen overnight.
So when you’re frustrated with something at the box, don’t let it consume you. Don’t let it get to you. Just keep learning from your mistakes and improving. It’s been a little over 2 years since I’ve started CrossFitting in a class environment, and I remember how much I struggled with so many things.
Getting ONE kipping pull up seemed hopeless. Stringing a few singles with the jump rope seemed impossible. A muscle up felt too far in the future for me.
Nevertheless, I kept at it. I’d ask coaches and other classmates for tips. I’d study my mistakes and try out my improvements. I’d test out one new variable at a time to fully understand what I was doing wrong.
Yes, this sounds sort of intense, but I wanted to improve BAD. It fuckin sucked being the last person to finish in class. It hurt my ego using the various colored bands to do pull ups. I NEVER wanted to settle.
Even if my improvements were small and gradual, they were consistent. To me and others, nothing much seemed to be happening. I just kept showing up and doing my thing. Before I knew it, I was doing butterflies, getting 50+ unbroken dubs, and so many others things I thought were impossible.
The only limiting factor is really YOU.
A lot of people out there who hear of your goals and aspiration may think you’re crazy. They may put you down and try to “knock some sense” into you. Well, you know what? It’s okay to be crazy and dream big as long as you make those dreams a reality.
That’s the beautiful thing about CrossFit. It helps you break down so many barriers you and others have set for yourself. These barrier might have been there for years. Hey…it’s better late than never, right?
Keep your mind on your goals. Sure, you may have some off days. You may not PR every time. Just believe in YOU. Don’t let those small things get in the way.
Oh Is It Life-Changing
Many of us have had life-changing experiences through CrossFit. The first phase might be through weight loss, which is an awesome thing. However, the most important aspect and a by-product of this is the confidence you gain in yourself.
I look back at where I was over 2 years ago. Graduation was only a few months away. I had no idea what I wanted to do career-wise, as I wasn’t really a fan of where I was heading. At the time, I was still getting over a pretty serious breakup. Shit was pretty heavy at the time haha. CrossFit took all that garbage, inspired me to take a complete 180 with everything, and despite all the initial struggles and risks, I’ve never been in such a good position in my life.
You can call me a dreamer, especially since I dream BIG. However, thanks to CrossFit, I’ve become the kind of person who just goes for it. Failing happens, as it’s part of the journey. Anyone can dream. I take those dreams and make them happen.
Sure, the initial foray into my dream path has been quite rocky, but I know I’m gonna make it.
And you know what’s cool? You’re a part of it. You’re helping me make this dream a reality. I hope I can inspire you to fuckin crush it as well 🙂
