Guest Post Friday! Sometimes You're The Bug, Sometimes You're The Windshield.

A former client, Dana Bird, competed last weekend in the Battle of the Bluegrass and when I saw what she wrote about her experience, I asked her if I could share.

Dana is one strong mamma who is committed to her workouts and her nutrition! She works a demanding job, coaches CF classes, is a supportive wife and is mom to two awesome little boys that rock out on the golf course. Between driving to different towns for her job and driving her boys to practices and tournaments, if anybody has an excuse to not take care of herself, Dana does! But she doesn't! She trains and she trains HARD. She meal preps and packs food with her everywhere she goes so that she isn't caught unprepared. 

Dana posted this on her Facebook page.

I love this article by Aja Barto in the book, The Invictus Mindset. "Sometimes you're the bug. Sometimes you're the windshield." It's how we handle those moments when we are the bug that help us grow. I had a "bug" WOD yesterday. I was the only athlete in my heat with the sun beating down on me... But I kept reminding myself that the last 2 heats had to deal with this heat in the sun too. The sun was right beside my wall ball target. I was squinting to see, my head and shoulders felt like they were on fire, and then when I got to my bar mu's I slipped due to my grips. I had to stop, take my grips off, and continue... I hate wearing grips but knew I'd rip if I didn't. I was no repped several times on the wall balls due to missing the target, all were totally legit no reps. My judge was good and fair, as it should be. Yep.
It was getting ugly. And then when I got back on the bar I tore during my mu's... Not 1, not 2, but in 3 places. Both palms. I was pissed. I felt mentally defeated. I just wanted the 14' to be OVER. I had reached the point of no return, my self talk was shit and I knew it BUT I didn't stop. I pushed through and did what I could do. Here's the point... We have to be prepared for unknown crazy circumstances. We all have moments where we feel like the bug. Yesterday I learned a lot by competing, one... I need to trust my lifts on competition day. My body can do more than I give it credit for when the pressure is on. And two... My bug moment made me a stronger athlete mentally and I'll be better because of that experience the next time something goes array! Because it will happen again. It's all a matter of perspective. "Success is never final. Failure is never fatal. It's the courage that counts." -John Wooden 

Isn't that the best advice? It's very zen, really to accept that bad things are going to happen and that we should think of them like a gift to grow from. 

Like I wrote about last week, rejection and bad things are inevitable. The sooner we learn to accept it and work with it, not against it, the better off we are. 

Think of that the next time you are the bug. 

Thank you Dana for letting me share your post!

Stay strong y'all!

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