Sometimes, I don’t think we are thinking about the impressions that we make as we live out our lives. We don’t think about impressionable eyes that are on us. There are so many things going on in our mind and running through our brain, as Jobie mentioned in a previous blog, that it makes sense that we’re not always necessarily thinking about how every action we take can be an impressionable one.
Even just typing that out, I realize how unaware I am about this matter of being an example in the different facets of my life. I think about my team members – how my actions and behaviors can rub off on them and become repeatable to clients, colleagues, and vendors. I think about my niece and nephew – how the words that come out of my mouth WILL be repeated, because they’re 6 and 10, and well, they’re just bound to pick up the things they hear and insert them into their own speech. I think about the people around me at the gym – how my own actions on what I’m eating, how I’m resting, and how I’m working out will only make sense if I’m practicing what I’m preaching. I’m a coach, yep, but am I listening to my own coach, as well? If I am, I can expect that it would make more sense for those around me to emulate consistency in the gym and in a great, delicious eating lifestyle. (Yes, the “strict” way I eat a majority of the time is both great and delicious.)
Our actions are impressionable. We are examples. Whether we realize it or not, it’s just how life works. In sports, we hold athletes in extremely high esteem, put them up on pedestals even. Sometimes, they make good, show incredible strength on the field and are constantly giving back to the community off the field. They have taken the bull by the horns in the best way when it comes to making an impression. Sometimes, they get up in front of that mic, and they say, “I didn’t ask to be an example. I don’t ask for fans to regard me as a role model.” That usually comes after they’ve done something that beckons that kind of response – mistakes, blunders, backtalk, crises. Well, whether they like it or not, people are watching.
Same goes for you and me, we have people around us, watching us, and looking up to us every day. Why this topic today? Because sometimes, I sit back and think on my favorite moments that have happened at the gym, and there is one that always stands out – and likely will forever, so I’m sharing it with you in closing. One of our members, a military wife & a mom of two, was working out one day, having a tough time with the workout – not doing as great as she’d like, but regardless, she kept pushing through. I wasn’t coaching that day – Jobie was. I was just watching. I watched her youngest watching her. He emulated her EVERY MOVE. EVERY. MOVE. She was still frustrated with her workout when she left…she’d wanted to go a little faster, lift a little more. Her coach encouraged her post-workout for the commitment she made to being there and pushing through. I gave her time to get home, then texted her afterward – I told her that it didn’t matter the time she got that day or how much she lifted – J and I both knew and saw that she was setting an example for her boys. She was teaching them commitment and dedication. She was showing them the way to health and fitness. Her boys were watching her challenge herself, become better, overcome adversity, commit to a healthy lifestyle. Who cares if her time was 30 seconds faster or slower that day. She was there, and she was setting a hell of an example for those boys who were literally following in her footsteps. I was so proud. And still am.
We have the ability and opportunity to be role models and set examples every day. The first person we can start with is ourselves. Be an example for you. In the same breath, remember that the actions you take, the words you say, and the commitments you make are making impressions on others. It may just lead them to their next sale being made, their next workout being achieved, their next goal being crushed.
We have plenty of role models and example setters in the gym. Need one? Want to be one? Email me at tanya@crossfitvirilis.com to come take your first step.