Written by Emma Schumer-Caldwell
As a student who is learning the art of progress over perfection, I wish that I had adopted this mindset a lot earlier in my academic career.
Every sport I have done in my life has equipped me with the mindset that discipline and perseverance is the path to accomplishing your goals, which is definitely true, however it can make striving for your version of greatness seem like a constant uphill battle.
Whether you’re working in a café, trying to start-up an online business, or just chipping away at your degree one weekly quiz at a time there is always something more that can be done or something you could’ve done better.
This sort of mindset has led me to burnout countless times because when you constantly focus on things you want to be better at, you find yourself staring up a very steep mountain thinking:
“I’ve got sooooooo far to go”.
This completely discredits how far you’ve come from wherever you started.
For me, the sport of CrossFit has been the most valuable teacher of how hard work pays off and that the fastest way to get anywhere, is slowly (thanks Mat Fraser and Andre De Shields for those little words of wisdom).
I started CrossFit nearly two years ago with zero gymnastics experience, little weightlifting knowledge and an average fitness level but an obsessive mindset to be the best version of myself possible.
After my health had been compromised from a relatively serious injury (fractured vertebrae and ankle) I made a promise to myself that 84-year-old Emma would look back and say she left nothing to chance, that she was the fittest, healthiest woman she could’ve been, and CrossFit came into my life at the perfect time to initiate that vow.
CrossFit has made me a better student because it’s taught me that the small 1%ers you do each day are what compound to your goals.
It’s taught me that although hard work and discipline are big contributors, it’s patience and joy that are the best guides to follow towards your success.
And what a relief that is!
Because what’s the point of a destination, if you don’t enjoy the journey!
From learning complex Olympic lifts or trying to walk on my hands CrossFit has instilled in me that having a crack at anything, doing the basics well, failing fast and failing often, plus surrounding yourself with people who challenge you to be better is the most effective recipe for greatness in any aspect of life.
As students I think the best way we can become the professionals that the world needs us to be we need to:
- Stop being so hard on ourselves
- Accept how little we know
- Be proud of ourselves for having the courage to learn and fail constantly (it’s not easy on the go)
- Embrace the fact that we’re never quite satisfied
- Say yes to the thing that terrifies you because you think you’re not ready or smart enough (one day, or day one, your choice)
- Surround yourself with people you want to be like. And if it’s uncomfortable at first, it’s not because you don’t belong, it’s just different to what you’re used to.
Fail fast, fail often and have a laugh every once in a while, and I reckon you’ll be well on you way to accomplishing your goals as a student.
