Check your ego at the door
And go further.
If there’s something I’ve truly learned over the past few years, it’s that our ego is one of the biggest things keeping us from achieving the things we set out to achieve. It’s one of those things you hear all the time, but “learning by doing” makes you really understand what it means.
Most of us have probably seen the “macho” guys at the gym that are lifting too heavy with poor form. Between sets, they look around to make sure people see how much weight there’s on the bar. I’ve been that guy. And the result was an injured lower back and knees, preventing me e.g. from running. I had to stop doing certain exercises for a long time. When I was ready for those exercises again, I had to go in with a completely different mindset and start from scratch. Lifting light weights and only focusing on the form, not caring about what other people were thinking, and progressing slowly to make sure I always lifted with proper form.
Another example is running. It’s summer, you’re running in a park or near a beach and there are a lot of people around. You automatically run faster than you probably should, just to show off. Or someone passes you, which makes you mad and it turns into a race because you need to show that you can run faster. Again, just explaining my own experiences. When I started marathon/ironman training, I had to start from scratch again. My long runs were based on heart rate instead of a certain pace, which meant that I wasn’t running that fast in the beginning. At times, it felt like I was walking. So checking my ego, not caring about what other people were thinking, and progressing slowly kept me free from injuries and improved my running form, pace, and endurance exponentially.
Being honest, admitting when you don’t know what to do or don’t have the answer, learning (by yourself or asking for help), understanding it will take time, will always get you further in the long run.
