Put In The Reps.

     The last few weeks my wife has been learning how to make sourdough.  If you do not know, to make sourdough, you need a starter and the starter you have to feed for a week in order to have the dough that is required to bake a sourdough loaf.  I really do not know much about how the process goes.  This is her first time baking sourdough and its been a process of her reading a lot of articles, watching videos and asking others questions; today is bake day.  I have not been involved in much of the process except for getting to watch her learn this new skill.  As her husband, I have got to see the different emotions during the journey - excitement for seeing her starter take off.  Uncertainty for if it would turn out how it is supposed to.  Moments of worry that the sourdough starter is not growing like it should.  Joy that the night before bake day, her dough ball is looking really good and ready to bake.

    It has been a really cool process to see.  To watch her learn a new skill and to figure things out as she goes.  I never realized how involved it is.  It takes incredible discipline because the sourdough starter is very particular to grams of flour, temperatures and times.  Feeding the sourdough starter and getting it prepared requires a daily discipline of showing up to feed it and keep it moving in the right direction.  Sourdough Bread literally made our calendar (never thought I would say that)! Everyday, she showed up at the same time, to do the same thing to build a product she is happy with.  It was not always an exciting process, but it got her closer to her goal of that loaf of sourdough. 

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    Over the last 8 years, I have been fortunate enough to immerse in the community of my CrossFit gym, CrossFit Apex.  Over the 8 years, immersing in that community has created a process that has helped me develop into someone who I did not think was possible.  I think a lot of people from outside of a CrossFit gym/community walk or drive by and just chalk it up to "just another gym", but it is so much more than that.  What I have learned over the last 8 years is that immersing yourself in a community that fires you up begins this internal process that just continues to transform you.  In those 8 years, especially the last 4, I have gotten close with many people there that I call my second family.  They have inspired me to work hard, continue to show up, be accountable and focused, and most importantly support each other and strive for excellence.  They inspired me to attain my CF-L1, which is the level 1 coaching certification for CrossFit and that has been a journey in of itself the last four years.  Over the last few years, I have been blessed to be given opportunities to lead our youth fitness classes/program.  For a majority of those last few years, it varied how frequently it was offered and varied in kids availability with sports, etc.  It was consistently about 8-10 kids that were attending after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays to workout.  I learned that I am so incredibly passionate about youth fitness because of what it did for me when I was in high school and if kids can get this type of fitness and this type of community at the elementary age... WOW great things can really happen for our future.  It was consistently 8-10 kids, which is better than none, but I knew and our gym owners knew that it could reach a bigger impact. We kept chipping away, kept offering the program and it was within the last 6-8 months that the youth program blew up.  In the best way possible.  Word of mouth was spreading and have had 20-25 kids sign up.  That is 25 kids who after school are making connections with others their age, immersing in a empowering community and witnessing adults prioritizing their health, wellness and fitness every day.  I have worked to make connections and try to lead by example for our younger generations.  I am working to grow this community for our youth so that they learn how to develop habits that will quite literally help them in every aspect of their lives for their WHOLE life to come.  Is the program where I think it could be or where I want it to be? Nope.  I want it to keep growing.  I think there is a lot more impact that this can have, but I am grateful for where it is now.  I am grateful for the community who has given me opportunities, to my wife who supports the time commitment, and to the adults who are flexible with their classes and are being positive role models for our youth.  It is 100% a testament to it takes a village - there are so many people behind this.

    So how does these two stories tie together? Both are about putting in the reps.  I was inspired this morning to journal, then write this blog based off of that journal because of our series at church.  Creating and maintaining habits so we can envision and bring to life the person we want to be in 5, 10 years from now.  This morning was all about putting in the "reps."  Showing up consistently, being comfortable with the mundane and the boring work.  Working hard at the things we know we should be doing. Showing the daily discipline because the product of anything is a direct reflection of what we put into it.  We reap what we sow.  We are what we consume.  What we PLANT is what we HARVEST.  Let that sink in because that hit me hard this morning... 

What we plant is what we harvest.  

It fires me up.  It encourages me that there is always meaningful work to do.  In every single season of life.  

    Katie's first sourdough went in the oven this morning and it came out looking glorious.  I can't tell you how many minutes and hours she has spent reading and listening to information about how make this amazing bread.  I cannot tell you how many classes I have taught over the last two years of youth but what I can tell you is both those stories show this focus and discipline.  We need more of that.  I've written workouts or led classes where afterwards I just knew kids would have enjoyed it better if it was done another way, but that is the process, right? That is how we adjust, learn and grow.  I am very encouraged today to start this week off and carry through the year showing up and planting some stronger roots this year in a few different ways.  I want to be more present of a husband than I can even imagine.  I want to be disciplined in my own time of consuming meaningful information.  I want to be focused on actually making weaknesses, strengths.  I want to build empowering connections.  All those things, after this morning, I believe just are harvests of some strong roots that need to be planted.  I am eager for this upcoming year and eager to keep learning how to show up just a little bit better.