This past weekend I did the Austin Gorilla Run with a couple of awesome buddies from high school. We had a blast, we saved some gorillas, and now we have a gorilla suit for life…win-win-win all the way around. After the run and Silverback Pale Ale we went to a Crossfit competition to watch some of their fellow gym-ers compete. My scrawny ass has done Crossfit in the past – before it was called ‘Crossfit’. I know a ton of friends who have been sucked in, so I knew what I was get getting myself into. At least I thought I did.
We got to the competition and I felt out of place – maybe because I had a fanny pack over my gorilla costume – and because every chick there could body slam me. There had to be at least 2,000 people at this abandoned warehouse that was made into a Crossfit kingdom. It was so intense. Deadlifts, muscle ups, burpees, you name it, it was going on – and everyone there was so into it.
I didn’t know this subculture existed and it’s only growing. It fascinated me and it got me to thinking - a Crossfit competition relates a lot to money.
1. You have to be good at everything.
In a Crossfit competition you have to be good at everything to win. You can’t just excel at muscle ups and suck at deadlifts. You have to be well rounded and above average at everything to have a shot to place in the competition. The same rings true when it comes to money.
You can’t be a great investor and suck ass at paying off your debt - you’ll never make any progress. If you’re above average at saving, paying-off debt, and investing you’ll be pretty set in the present and in the future. The greatest thing is you don’t need any God given talent to succeed with your finances. It all comes down to small, little habits that add up in the end. This leads me to my next point.
2. You can’t just focus on one thing.
Don’t get me wrong, putting in your workouts and busting your butt in the gym is one of the most important aspects if you want to succeed in a Crossfit competition – but it doesn’t start there. You have to be on an uber healthy diet. Most of the Crossfitters – from what I understand – stick to the Paleo diet. They eat like a caveman to sustain energy levels throughout the day.
You can’t just expect to just hit up the gym and win a competition. You have to do things outside of the gym to help your chances of succeeding – like eating healthy, getting good sleep, and resting your body.
When it comes to your money you need to make sure you have a comprehensive plan – the whole package. You need to focus on crushing your debt, spending on the stuff you love, and saving for your future – AT THE SAME TIME! If you try to do one at a time you’re going to miss huge opportunities in the other important sections.
3. You can easily get hurt.
Like with most workouts inside the gym you have to have the correct form to get the most benefit for your muscles. Not only that, but if you are not using the correct form with a lot of weight you can really hurt yourself. Hurting your back doing a deadlift will knock you out of the entire competition.
One terrible credit card will prevent you from saving, one bad investment can ruin your retirement, and one bad accident can put you into bankruptcy. You need to make sure you’re doing every aspect of your financial fitness routine with the right form, because one little mistake can cost you a lot of time and lot of money.
4. You can’t do it solo.
You can imagine that a lot of Crossfitters think they’re hot shit – and some are – but they didn’t get there alone. They’ve had great trainers & great teammates to push them through the tough times. At the competition I saw family spouses, family members, and teammates rooting them on. If you’ve ever played a sport you know the adrenaline rush that comes when you have dozens, hundreds, or thousands of people rooting for you.
We all like to think that we know everything when it comes to our finances, but we know that’s not true. We may excel at one area or another, but 99.99% of us are not great at budgeting, saving, insurance, investing, & taxes. We need a team of people around us to help get through the intricacies of finance and money to make sure we’re doing what’s best for ourselves and our family.
Today’s challenge: Reach out to someone in an area where you need help. A simple email or phone call can help you get one of the most important parts of your life in order.