Chapter 2020

RIP to the things we loved and lost in 2020. In this era of it's okay to not be okay, I want to take a moment to ackowledge the things that dramatically and drastically changed in our lives as a result of this pandemic. The crazy unique thing about this situation is that no matter what your stance is on the pandemic itself, everyone can agree that we were all changed by it in some capacity. Things about the world after this year will never be the same. Our life stories have reached a pivotal point where every character can now share a trauma bond over the whip lash that was the start of this new decade. But you know what? Great stories come out of tales of resilience and we are all characters in our own life stories. Welcome to this chapter, strap yourself in, because this isn't going to be the kind of story that goes something like..

"On a beautiful Spring, Sunday morning, they hopped in their car and went for a cruise down the street but, alas! They were pulled over for rolling a stop sign. However, with a wink and a golden smile they talked themselves out of a ticket. The end."

What kind of story is that? I mean, don't get me wrong, there's technically conflict and resolution, but WHERE'S THE FLAVOR? I understand some people don't thrive on chaos like some people I may or may not be. But, I will absolutely take the responsibility of being the first to tell you that you could pick any major event in 2020 that you've lived through and you're story will immediately be less lame than the one I just put you through reading. Like I said before, great stories have great conflict, unfortunetly, that means you too have probably experienced some sort of loss or great change as a result of 2020's chaos invoking chapter.

Many lost their jobs, many lost relationships, many lost loved ones, and many learned truths about things that forever changed who they are as people. My mini personal sob story was having to leave my job at an elite Strength & Conditioning Gym in Manhattan. Let me tell you how much I loved that gig real quick. I literally taught people how to go upside down for a living, I blasted my favorite music all day long, met the most amazing humans beings, was gifted coffee daily, and I truly witnessed miracles on a regular basis. It was a dream come true, but every diamond has its flaws, otherwise we would all be the richest and rarest people on earth. This story's protagonist showed up as poor management who fired coaches over personal issues and after going straight for the jugular by taking out our MVP and team captain, many of us walked out. Here's the kicker. This happened in Feburary, New York City went into lockdown early March. Fitness was forever changed as a result of this pandemic and my job as I knew it was gone. I couldn't simply just go to another gym and pick up right where I left off. In fact, I've probably quit fitness entirely at least 44 times since the beginning of this chaos and the thing is, that's completely okay.

Before the lockdown happened I worked 7 days a week for the majority of my career. How is that possible you might ask? Well, the fitness industry has always had a love affair for operating in the grey area. So much of what we do is our entire lifestyle, it's easy to lose yourself in your job and let it become your identity. This is something I have also learned is true for many people across multiple career paths. We as people like to categorize and organize ourselves. Then, when it's time to jump to a new bucket and change what we're doing, we freak the hell out and latch onto everything that feels familar like it's the only source of life. Some people are better at letting go and accepting change than others; they know when its time to jump ship. Then for some like myself, we stay on the sinking ship until every red flag has been accounted for. All come with different levels of stress and discomfort, but the common denominator is we all have felt the weight of change.

If we've ever met, you would likely have a horror story of the relentless positivity I am regularly projecting, even before someone's morning coffee has kicked in. I am a self proclaimed professional hype-man and I am pretty damn good at it if I must say so myself. It is easy for me to become nostalic and think back fondly of the things I loved about coaching. But I sometimes get stuck with rose colored goggles on and forget I am wearing them. There were a lot of good things about my job, but there is also lot of good coming from changing it up a bit. Up until rather recently I would have introduced myself with my career title attached like an extension of my name. Now, I'm just focused on getting curious about who I am and learning a little more about myself everyday. We are so much more than our jobs, we are so much more than who we date or what we do on daily basis. We are more than the money we make and the titles we carry, we are perfectly imperfect human beings. All the things that have lead us to this are worth honoring. No matter what your story looked like up until this moment, every last thing shaped you into who you are. There is something about that idea that will forever remain potetically beautiful. In this chapter you will continue to experience change, maybe even more than you have, and it will teach you about yourself in ways you never considered. Its up to you to open your heart to learning and seeing all that you are possibly made of.

We may have lost some important things in 2020 but take a second to express gratitude for every mini story that lead you right here to the present. Those things mattered, even if they changed and looking back they weren't A+ and actually kinda sucked. They gave you some piece of magic, I promise. Then release it and leave the past behind because it no longer belongs to us. From this moment on you can be anything you want to be, you are capable of all that sets your soul on fire, and you are bound by nothing. This next chapter is yours.

All the love🖤