KILL the Death Talk!

I'm sure that many reading this blog entry are new Altitude Bootcampers (there's over 100 of you) & thus new to the world of Coach Derrick. I'd also be willing to bet that many have either felt or heard someone else feeling the wrath of one of my "NO DEATH TALK IN MY GYM!" rants. So for those who may be uninitiated - here's the low low on what that's all about.

Christianity is my particular expression of faith. I don't cram it down anyone's throat nor do I begrudge anyone who chooses otherwise. One of the great things about this nation is we are free to worship and express our faith as we choose, or not at all. The pastor of our house of worship tells a fascinating story: 

In former years he was a meat-cutter. Worked in a butcher shop & interfaced with the public every day of the week. One day he says he felt the unction to "shut up, stop doing all the talking, & just listen to people". Pay careful attention to the things people say.  So he did so one day & says he noticed an amazing phenomena. We speak 3 things over ourselves all the time; death, sickness/disease, and poverty. Think about it. How many times have you said or heard:

"Makes me sick!"

"You're kill'n me!"

"So broke I can't pay attention"

"That movie last night was so funny, we were just dying laughing!"

"Oh man, I was dead after that."

And so on. We say it all the time. Well you know what? Words are containers. Whether we believe it or not, they are. Words are VERY powerful things. And in life we tend to get what we say. If you go around saying, "I'm a loser. Nobody likes me. I have no friends and I never will..."  Well guess what? And of course the opposite is equally true.

And so he began a campaign years ago to say, "Look, if you're going to joke around about that stuff - joke on the right side of the power curve." So instead of, "I'm dying" make it, "I'm living".

As fitness professionals we're forever hearing this. "You just about killed us with all those squats yesterday."; "I was about to die." Etc. Etc. Etc.  Imaging if you had a position where people accused you, on a daily basis, of killing them!

So in the Achieve Fitness USA and Altitude Fitness Camps gyms -we turn it around! I'm don't KILL people (!), I do just the opposite - I LIVE them! 

So next time you're in one of my workouts and you throw out a "death statement" & get the requisite verbal smack down,....you'll know why. You're coming to workout so that you can LIVE and have more LIFE. Keep it on the right side of the power curve!