“Direction, not intention determines your destination.”
This quote above is from Andy Stanley. He is one of the most foundational pastors of my college years. I love this quote because he hits on the reality that having good intentions and even strong desire does little for results. One of the intangible aspects of competition is the direction in which you move. I love seeing athletes who don’t understand how to turn it off and are uncompromising in their desire to win. I’ve seen some athletes compete and chase victory even at the expense of their own life. For these types of athletes desire and intention were matched by direction.
We all know the type of athlete who wants it more than anybody we can think of but often times they are unwilling to put in the work or unwilling to sacrifice much when much sacrifice is required. These type of athletes have the desire and have the intention but lack the direction. More importantly they lack action. For these type of athletes competition is won or lost in their mind. Their biggest struggle is often putting the desire to work.
I can desire to be as good a golfer as Tiger Woods. I can desire to be a better snatcher than the world record holder. Desire does nothing. Direction aka action is what produces results. This is an intangible elements to training. I remember growing up on the football field and the coaches would state over and over again that “we can’t win this game for you.” They knew we were well prepared, they had coached us well, but their struggle was that they needed to see a type of fire that only we could produce. In CrossFit and weightlifting this type of fire comes from comfortability with pain, an affection for sacrifice, and a uncompromising mindset.
The question inevitably becomes are you okay with losing just because you didn’t want to try hard enough? Are you willing to step into that pain threshold or that severe realm of discomfort where you know you have to go in order to win? For coaches this is the hardest and most frustrating thing to coach. For athletes this is the hardest and most essential element by which success is found. How comfortable are you with discomfort? Your answer to that question will determine how comfortable you are with the top of the podium.
“Cause all I ever dreamt about was makin’ itnThey ain’t giving it, I’m taking it!“