By: Dawn Swinney

Are you stuck in the comparison trap? When you compare yourself to others, it takes away from anything you may experience that is personal to you. This steals the joy out of what could be the celebration of an accomplishment. When the athletes I coach tell me that they didn’t do as good as so-and-so or are reluctant to ring the bell on a max day because they’re embarrassed of their score or weight, 3 words always come to my mind and sometimes to my mouth: you do you. 

Social media and everything we can expose ourselves to on a daily basis can inspire, but unfortunately most of the time if we’re already discouraged with where we’re at, it can send us down a path of negativity and self-doubt. If you find yourself feeling bummed out after a mindless scrolling Insta-sesh, you aren’t alone! Instead of falling even deeper into the comparison trap, put your phone down and do some self-evaluation instead of others-evaluation. 

Think back to when you first started Welded…the very first time you walked into the doors at Double Edge or whatever location your Welded journey began. Think about the feeling you had after your first class. Think about the first time you attempted a power clean or a snatch; most likely it was the most awkward thing you could have imagined doing with a (heavy!) barbell. Perhaps your coach took you through a progression but you were really thinking, “what the heck am I doing right now?! or maybe you even asked “what’s a barbell and when do we actually start the workout?” .

Now, think about where you are today. Perhaps you finally just got the feeling of what a snatch is supposed to feel like as that barbell flew above your head, feeling light as a feather. Maybe you actually felt your body move through a kip for the first time and maybe, just maybe you’ve started linking your toes to bar together. Maybe you’re actually getting a double under every once and awhile or perhaps you jumped onto the 12” box for the first time with 2 feet recently. Maybe that squat that hurt so badly when you first learned it actually feels ok now. Wherever you are, I can almost guarantee you’re in a different place than where you were  when you first walked through the door here. 

Back to you doing you. Competition keeps us entertained and feeds a need inside some of us to have a goal or someone to chase or stay ahead of. That’s a good thing. Just don’t let the glances around at other’s scores or weights take away from your personal journey. You do you. There’s no one else like you and this gym wouldn’t be the same without you. 

PS- someone else is probably looking at you wishing they had or could do ____ . Think about THAT.