A Simple Desire

Goals are simple. 

-by Coach Mat

Goals don’t have to be complicated and if you say you don’t have one, you’re lying.

What is the thing you want from doing CrossFit? Why are you doing it?

It doesn’t have to be complicated, and you don’t need to search for the “right” answer. Be honest. What comes to mind first?

I started because I wanted to have abs and find a fun way to compete.

It didn’t take a special notebook with S.M.A.R.T. written on the page in a zen sitting room with soundscapes playing in the background to decide what I wanted. Just like wanting a drink of water when thirsty, I “wanted” in the same way.

If your desire is for something that is healthy and improves your mind, body, and spirit, it’s good! Drop the self-judgements and secrecy and be honest. If you have an aesthetic goal, define what it is!

(Then schedule an InBody scan to establish where you are right now. The InBody shows how much muscle, fat and water your body is and gives us direction on how much to eat to get the body composition you want! Schedule here!)

Whatever the goal, pick what you truly want.

Then comes the “how do I get it” part.

I wanted abs and to compete so I found the people who had abs, and had a ton of fun. I figured that if they had what I wanted, I could literally copy what they do and take their advice to get the same results.

I modeled everything: from nutritional habits to the brand of workout clothes I wore. I listened to what they said and took their advice to heart.

• It started with simple things like telling me to lift my chest up in the deadlift.
• They told me to jump a little higher for the double-under and I’d get big consecutive sets.
• They ate a certain way, and told me I should, too, if I wanted what I said I did, so I ate that way.

It wasn’t a coincidence that I started to burn fat and change my body.

They had been right about everything before, so when they told me to focus more on my workout results than the way my body was looking, I listened.

My desire to get abs changed to a desire to get a muscle up, back squat 315 lbs, run a 6 minute mile, do consecutive pull ups and toes to bar, deadlift 225 lbs in all the workouts that had it in them, and clean and jerk 250 lbs. When I accomplished those goals, I looked better than I would have ever looked if I only tried to get abs.

The whole process really started with trust.

It was much easier to trust them since they practiced what they preached.

They were the type of people I wanted to be, so it was a no-brainer to learn their ways.

In copying, I was able to accomplish my goal and even more than I would have dreamed about or been able to accomplish. By chasing performance I got fit, strong, AND happy.

But it all started with a desire. Just a feeling of want, for something that I didn’t have.

That turned into the goal and lead to so much more.

If you think that setting a goal is a difficult, worthless process or just flat out don’t do it, you’re missing out on so much possibility and growth that if you had, you wouldn’t want to give up.

So, what do you want?