Focus

Grand Central Station

Lady Liberty

Empire State of Mind

 Manhattan by day

Manhattan by night

These pictures have absolutely nothing to do with my post, but I just returned home from a trip to NYC and thought I would add some of my favorites from the week.

Focus is something that is important in life. Far to often in crossfit, I see missed lifts or poor technique not because of a lack of skill, but rather because of a lack of focus. Focus is being able to zone in on the specific task at hand, blocking out all other potential distractions. If you are doing a snatch, you have to focus on your setup, sweeping the bar back, scooping to get the bar back to the hips, extending with the shoulders slightly back, pulling yourself under, catching right behind the ears, getting secure in the hole, and standing. Forget any one of those things, and it is a missed lift. If you are in the middle of a WOD, you can't allow yourself to focus on the pain, but must instead focus on each single rep. Taking it one rep at a time is key. I have found this to be true lately in my squats. We are in the midst of a pretty intense (and miserable) hypertrophy phase that involves a lot of sets of 10, 8, and 6, which I hate. If I see that I have 5x8, I get disheartened quickly if I think of the sheer volume ahead of me. But if I get under the bar, and focus on completing one rep at a time, is more manageable. We have to learn to shift our focus from the negative to the positive (what I did wrong vs. what I need to do right)- from the things we cannot control to the things we can (how much this hurts vs. my form/effort).

Where we place our focus determines a lot about our life. I find myself seeking to be my own savior far too often. There are times I put a lot of focus into not doing some certain sin, rather than focusing on Christ. In placing my focus on not doing something, I am giving that something power in my life, as well as attention. The gospel holds out for us a more beautiful reality though- that by "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith" (Heb 12:2) we come to see Him as more worthy of our affections than the vices we cling to. We can never let not sinning become our savior in place of our actual Savior. You don't get over your anger problem by trying to not be angry- you get over your anger problem by fixing your eyes on Christ, and seeing that if anyone had reason to be angry it was Him, yet He willingly loved the Church and gave Himself for her to make her holy (Ephesians 5). You don't get over your insecurity problem by trying to be less insecure- you get over your insecurity problem by fixing your eyes on Christ and seeing that you are fully accepted in Him, that He loves you and gave himself for you while you were still a sinner (Romans 5:8). You don't get over your addiction problem by trying to not be addicted- you get over your addiction problem by fixing your eyes on Christ, seeing that only He can satisfy the deepest desires of your heart, and trusting Him when He says the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come that you may have LIFE and have it to the FULL (John 10:10). 

St. Augustine of Hippo said it most beautifully:

"How sweet all at once it was for me to be rid of those fruitless joys which I had once feared to lose and now was glad to reject! You drove them from me, you who are the true, the sovereign joy. You drove them from me and took their place, you who are sweeter than all pleasure, though not to flesh and blood, you who outshine all light yet are hidden deeper than any secret in our hearts, you who surpass all honour though not in the eyes of men who see all honour in themselves. O Lord my God, my Light, my Wealth, and Salvation."

Focus up! Blessings