Keep Searching.

Since I was young I have always been active.  Whether it was soccer, track, basketball, running or volleyball I constantly had something going on.  I would go to practices, work my ass off and when those were over I’d go do another workout for fun. I always wanted more.

Junior year of high school I reached out to a coach at West, Visney, and asked for workouts.  He told me “if you want it bad enough, you’ll be here every morning ready to go”.  My entire Junior and Senior year of high school I wanted it bad enough.  I would show up for core workouts at 5:45AM, go to school, have practice after school, and from practice I would go straight to do another workout.  It was never enough though. Something was missing.  

Even being good at a sport wasn’t enough for me.  My junior year, I was a starting player on the varsity volleyball team.  I took a seniors position and found myself getting recognized frequently for my performance on the court.  I knew I had the ability and skill to play in college but again… something was missing.

My senior year, I made it to state for polevault and after being in that atmosphere; decided I wanted continue into college.  Two weeks into fall training… I quickly changed my mind.  I quit and beat myself up about it because like always… something was missing.  But I wanted to know WHAT was missing, and WHY.

What was missing was my passion.

All these sports were amazing, and I had a blast playing them.  I loved the process of getting better, I loved being part of a team, and I absolutely loved my coaches.  But even with the end result, I never felt completely fulfilled.

If you want to see true passion look up Chris Powell, and just watch one of his episodes.  He can’t help but to explode with excitement and THAT is an incredible thing to have. To have so much passion for something you can’t help but expose it in every aspect of your life.  The best part about this is, everyone is able to experience that. Everyone has their “thing”, their “wow”, their “high”. 

I remember my first CrossFit workout perfectly.  I dragged my great friend and one of my biggest supporters, Zack King, to the box with me. For whatever reason, I was so incredibly nervous I couldn’t go on my own.  Maybe I should have been nervous about how much it would change my life, but I didn’t know that at the time. Right after the workout, I thought, “I think I drank the kool aid. I’m hooked” and I haven’t looked back a day since.  I thought, perhaps this is my passion… but I didn’t know for sure.  I knew it would take more time to really see it I liked it for ALL it was.  I can now say, CrossFit is my passion.  It is my wow, it is my thing, it is my high.

CrossFit has kicked me to my butt more times than I can count.

It has made me fail.

It has made me succeed.

It has allowed me to better myself.

It has allowed me to better others.

It has given me the ability to utilize my college studies.

It has given me the ability to release my inner child.

It has provided me friendships.

It has provided me an outlet.

It has left me in tears of pain.

It has left me in tears of happiness.

Through all of this, the fire it burns within me has never died. I wake up every morning with the same drive, desire, and curiosity about CrossFit that I went to bed with, if not stronger.  THIS is passion.

I found the missing piece.

I’m not telling you CrossFit is the answer for all.  However, there IS an answer for all.  Everyone has a CrossFit. A passion that has divided their life in two… the time before this & the time after this. Some of us may have found it, while other may still be looking.  Some of us may be trying to convince ourselves that what were doing is our passion, when maybe deep down we know its not… I did. We all deserve to find that thing that fires us up. However, it’s not going to fall in our laps – we need to keep searching.

If you’re doing something that doesn’t fire you up, if you’re stuck in a rut, if you think you’re convincing yourself you found it, when maybe its not really it – I challenge you to try something new.  To stop settling for mediocrity, and seek true passion.

If you’ve found it – I challenge you to share it with 2 new people each week. Tell them your story!  They’ll love to hear.

I am a person who does something 100% and with all their heart. I always felt as though I had one foot in and one foot still searching.  This teeter-totter feeling towards things I worked hard at and spent so much time at used to drive me crazy but I can honestly say, I thank myself everyday.  I thank myself everyday for continuing to search.  For being open for change and ready for impact.  For not settling with this feeling of “eh”.

Ya see, we all deserve it. We deserve to have a story. A story to tell a stranger.  One that lights us up, helps us grow, and gives us life. So, if we haven’t found it I simply challenge you to…   

KEEP SEARCHING.

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

— Howard Thurman,

“It's just a friendly face in the hallway” - Mama Chez

My mom has always said, “Say hello to everyone.  You never know how it affects their day and if nothing else… it’s just another friendly face in the hallway”. 

My senior year of high school I received a message from a student that told me how much it meant to him that I would say hi and ask how his day is going because no one ever did.  He said his entire high school experience changed because he felt that at least there was one person who cared about him.  Wow… that hello really was making a difference. Thanks mom. I joke about it a lot, but its truly one of the best life lessons I have gotten. 

Not only has this life lesson continually re-visited me, but it has also transferred to many different experiences in my life. 

Recently, it has transferred into the gym (this will all tie together, promise).

So here’s the story…

I have never been able to do a ring dip unassisted. (Side note: Unassisted is when there is no band or person helping me). I didn’t struggle too badly with any core movements; I didn’t struggle with the jump rope, and most things with the barbell I could catch onto.  However, when it came to those ring dips… I had zero strength and ability.

It took one workout, here in California, to piss me off enough and get me into that mental state of working non-stop until I got my ring dip. Immediately following the workout, I went up to the coach begging for things to do to work on them.  He responded, “Work on your diamond pushups”.  I thought, this seems a little too simple but…OK – I can do that. And so I did. 

Two and a half weeks later… I GOT MY FIRST EVER UNASSISTED RING DIP. 

(**Happy dance**)

Here’s where it all comes together…

I think many times, people get wrapped up in either one of two things.  One, is people get wrapped up in the thought of what they can’t do and the things they can’t control.  The things that they can’t control get in the way of even doing simple things they CAN do.  It blocks their vision. The second, is that people get too overwhelmed by big end results. People get so focused on making the building look like a building when, in fact, it gets built brick-by-brick.  People seek to change the world when change often doesn’t come that big. Our goals are the same way; they are built step by step preparing us for a final result.  This is true across the board.

If you want to run a marathon, you’re not going to go run a marathon.  You’re going to spend months preparing and focusing on those shorter runs to condition for the big 26.2 miles.  If you want to backpack a 14’er, you’re going to start with simple trails and work up to it.  Or if you want to compete in a sport such as CrossFit, you’ll focus on those individual movements to prepare yourself to leave it all on the floor when it’s go time. 

I think this is the most important aspect of reaching a goal and is most often overlooked. Being able to appreciate the small things and trusting that they will make the biggest difference.  Too often, these small doings get overlooked and taken for granted because we’re too busy leaping for the finish.  We get so rushed and focused on CHANGING THE WORLD or SEEING THE COMPLETE PROJECT, that we often forget to complete the small doings and celebrate little victories.

It’s truly moving to see the impact these small doings have.  A hello a day helped a kid realize his worth, and diamond pushups gave someone strength they’ve never had.  Where are the limits to these small doings?  Nowhere – they are endless. 

So I challenge you… get out there, find room for growth in both yourself and the world around you, and give those small doings some more attention.  I think it will surprise you how far they will take you. 

I want to hear some cheering for those small victories!

Redefining the Finish Line.

     What gets you up in the morning?  What gets you so jazzed that you can’t help but talk fast and swing your hands all around? What's the thing that when you think about it, your eyes beam with passion? 

    I found my passion, CrossFit, four years ago and let it take the reigns, giving it the ability to change every aspect of my life.  This is not a weight loss journey, or a story of complete transformation but rather the journey of finding what my passion is and how it is incorporated in my everyday life.

    So what do I mean by “Redefine the Finish Line”? Many of us see a finish line as a milestone in which we arrive to the end.  However, I seek to change the definition and outlook of the finish line.  See, here’s the thing that may blow your mind – there is no finish line…it will just continue to change, giving you the impression that it was the end when really, you’re just beginning!   

    Many times we set a goal, we take steps to reach that goal, and when we hit the goal … then what?  Then we want something BIGGER or BETTER than the last goal.  This applies to so many aspects of our lives.  I seek to redefine those finish lines.  To accept life for what it is – all the excitement, bumps, curve balls, and changes that it entails while never compromising our passions.  The circumstances in which we work towards our passion will always be changing- but it more so about the journey in which we arrive to those life milestones and goals that creates the real story.  Maybe one year our finish line is running a marathon, and the next is simply learning how to adjust to a new work schedule.  These finish lines and journeys will be completely different and challenging in their own way, however, both obtainable. 

   Now, I’m not here to shove CrossFit down your throat and tell you how it’s the answer to everything and how it is for everyone… because I am aware its not.  However, I do know that everyone has a nitch for something whether you have discovered it or not.  I have found what works for me, and what gets me up each morning – and I am now on a mission to help others find theirs.

   Take this blog as a page to gather ideas for workouts and food, hear inspiring stories, gain extra motivation and to hear about different CrossFit boxes and other brands that have helped me along my journey!

Lets get to work. 

Contact me at... 

Email: hannahchesley03@gmail.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannah_chesley/