Wed. Jan. 6

20 Min AMRAP:

5 Box Jumps
10 Wall Ball
15 KB Swings (53/35)

Strength:

Front Squat:
1-1-1-1-1-1-1
then
50 Reps of 50% 1RM

from CrossFit Evolution

"Life Is Not Fair: And You Don't Want it to Be"

Fairness. What does that mean, really. Most people think it is "the right thing to do"; justice for all; an equal distribution of goods, services, whatever; and that you should be fair to everyone. And we all know "life is not fair", but that phrase is always treated as an ending to some sad story of despair. And I am sick of it!

Doing the right thing, justice for all, equal distribution, and equality for all is just not reasonable or possible for all people all the time. Fairness is in the eye of the beholder. Fairness changes quickly as well. Why so much stock in a word, a morality, that is dependent on personal opinion and perspective? Because it sounds nice. That's it. People feel good when they decide that they are "fair" about something.

That one is fair does mean that one is just. To do the right thing is your perspective of it only and may not be the reality. Justice for all usually is just for some. Equal distribution as it relates to fairness is anti-capitalism... and don't get me started on that topic. Equality of people is good when we're talking about civil rights, but not good when we're talking about preferential treatment related to education or employment. I think people should be allowed in a certain college or hired for a specific job based solely on merit. Based on their intellect, their work capacity, their achievements...that's what I want to see. I want salaries to be dependent upon proven results and work done.

In society today, this is what "fair" translates to:

* Fair means everyone gets what they THINK they deserve
* Fair means everyone is equal
* Fair means balanced
* Fair means everyone gets their way and gets along

It kinda sounds "nice" doesn't it? Here's what's wrong with it:

* Most people think they deserve alot, when in fact they deserve much less

* If you deserve something, that means you're waiting and not acting. Achievers GET what they want by going after it, they don't wait for someone to tell them their worth. They didn't "deserve it", they earned it.

* Everyone is NOT equal. Duh!! Everyone is unique. The way we think, the things we like, our motivators, our goals, our skills, our background, our experience...etc etc. If I'm the most intelligent scientist on earth and I created a new form of cheap fuel... I do not want to be paid the same as the person who is less intelligent and not creating something of value. I believe in excellence and I believe in getting paid well for it.

* Balance means hearing both sides or having it all. That's a myth. You can't have it all, but you can make yourself think you do if you like. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. You will NOT balance them. You will get the strengths stronger and the weaknesses to not suck so much. That's it.

* What about a "balanced life"? Another myth. You find the things that give you the most joy and then spend the most time on them. Things you don't like, find a way to NOT do it or get around it. It's very easy actually. Instead of trying to make everything work, just enjoy life more by spending time on the things you like.

* No matter how fair you think something is, someone will disagree. Why? Because fairness is subject to change and is in the eye of the beholder. What is fair today, is not fair tomorrow.

Some CrossFit Evolution scenarios for thought:

* It's 6pm. There's 15 advanced members training and 3 beginners that just walked in the door. Is it fair to keep the advanced members waiting while the beginners take 15 minutes of the trainer's time? Is it fair to focus on the paying members and leave the beginners bewildered and lost? Is it fair to the owner that the lost beginners decided not to join because they didn't "get it"? What would be fair?

- As you can see, fairness is changeable and dependent on
one's perspective. You just can't be fair to everyone just like
you can't make everyone happy.

* You offer a discount to a large group of new joins, but after a couple months, half of them fall off. Is it fair to increase the price on the remaining new members? Is it fair for the business to just take a loss?

-Depends how you are looking at it right?

I ask that everyone keep in mind that when we make changes and adjustments to programming, number of classes, in-house policies, prices, and more... we do so in order to make it better for our members, for prospective members, for us, and for the business (not in that particular order).

Life is not fair.
I think if life was fair, then I would be very unhappy about it. I don't believe that anything is owed to me. If I want something more than someone else, then I will get it. If I am better, smarter, faster, whatever... what I want I will get it first.

If life was fair, it would be too easy. Easy means I would do less and think less. Doing and thinking less means I wouldn't push myself. Not pushing myself would lead to slow-moving and slow-thinking. I would stop growing and I would just age. There is no joy in that.

If Crossfit was fair, you would only improve in the things you are good at. You would never reach your potential. It's the challenge and the competition that makes you better. It's being forced to do what you can't do or don't want to do.

Life was not meant to be fair. It was meant to cause adversity, because that is what causes us to grow. It has always been that way and always will be. So, when people say "life is not fair", I have to smile, because I don't want it to be. It is what excites me, teaches me, and drives me forward. When something is not "fair", there is always an opportunity waiting to be found, there is always an action waiting to be done.

So whatever gets thrown at you, just take it and run with it. Don't let it knock you down. We like adversity. We like proving ourselves. We don't care about what's fair and what's not. We care about doing our best. We care about hard work and the results that prove it.

"The question isn't who is going to let me, it's who is going to stop me." -Ayn Rand