Hearing “3…2…1…GO!” instantly gave me an adrenaline rush. For the next 17 minutes I was in the zone and completely focused on just me. Focused on my breathing, my technique, my form and chipping away at each rep. In that moment, I was reminded that I am only competing against myself. Yes, I was being judged, yes I’d be compared to other athletes, but none of that mattered. What mattered is that I had one task at hand that only I had control over, and it was to do the best that I could do within a set time frame. Not for one second was I thinking about work, what I had to do the next day, how I was getting home (route from Queens to Brooklyn…looks WAY better on a map). It was just me and the bar. As I lie in complete exhaustion once the 17 minutes were up, I felt an incredible sense of relief and clarity. Completing more reps than I originally thought I could do gave me power. Power to accomplish anything that was (and will be) thrown at me.
It took an arduous workout to remind myself that I am capable of doing my best work and putting my best effort when I truly focus and work on one specific task. I have the tendency to try and accomplish a million different things at the same time, and get frustrated when I see that nothing really has been completed. Maybe before each set of things that I have to do, I should countdown “3…2…1…Go!” to focus and get that shit done so I can move on to the next one…
Fun fact: I timed myself to write this post in under 30 minutes. Accomplished. Boom.