Is This Really Me?!

I have a somewhat funny story to share about this photo. The title reads, “Is this really me?!”

Let me explain…I had been doing CrossFit about 8 months when I participated in my first CrossFit Open Competition. Keep in mind I quit gymnastics when I was 11 because I didn’t want to compete. Ha! That sounds funny to me now. Anyway, every time they posted the workout for the week I would sweat in anticipation and excitement just praying that I would be able to do at least 1 rep of the first movement so I wasn’t disqualified. I had finally made it to week 4 and then passed week 5. I got lucky in that they didn’t start any of the workouts with double unders.

Oh happy day! I had completed all 5 workouts without being knocked out. Mission accomplished! You gotta set goals if you want to get anywhere, right? Sometimes that goal needs to be don’t suck completely and if you do just don’t give up. In the meantime, people at the gym kept talking about a photo of me that they really liked. Of course, I wanted to see it and scoured our gym’s Facebook page and website looking for a photo of me. I DIDN’T SEE IT. What were they talking about? Was I crazy?, were they just messing with me?

I’d forget about the picture then someone would mention it again and how great it was. Really??? What was I missing? I searched again and nothing. I had clicked on this picture several times and even clicked that I liked it. I had no idea it was me though. I thought it was an amazing photo of my friend from the gym and thought to myself, “Wow, she is amazing and has come a long way from where she started.” I asked the photographer about the photo and she assured it existed.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think it was ME. What’s my point?Well, I had worked so hard to get where I was that I didn’t recognize myself when I was there. Read that again. Have you ever done that? I didn’t even think the woman in the picture looked remotely like me. Wow, right? So my epiphany for you is:

When you think you could do better but you’re doing your best – YOU ARE!
When you think if only you looked good – YOU DO!
When you think if only you’d do better – YOU DO, YOU ARE AND YOU WILL!
This is when I learned to celebrate both the little and big accomplishments. Some people say that their reward is when they meet their ultimate goal. I say the heck with that because it all counts! You know why? Because I didn’t give up!

It is happening right now my friends. Please don’t ever give up. 

P.S. This photo has become one of my favorites. It was taken during the CrossFit Open 12.4 workout by Aludra Photography. I remember that workout well and was so glad that there were only 4 or 5 people in the gym when I did it. It had the dreaded double unders in it but I wasn’t worried about those. I knew my goal was to get through 150 wallballs. I didn’t do it but I came close. I got 148 reps with 12 misses (no reps).

by Kerry Marraffino | May 22, 2016 | Crossfit