Ahhh… the Golden Rule… the idea that we should treat people the same way that we would like to be treated ourselves. The wording for the Rule that I grew up with is, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” Luke 6:31. The Golden Rule has also shown up in many other religions and philosophies throughout history and it isn’t clear when it was first expressed or by whom. The Old Testament book of Leviticus 18:19, which was written around 1400 B.C., says, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” Confucius, who lived from 551–479 B.C., is said to have written, “Do not do to others that which we do not want them to do to us.” A Hindu text of the same era reads, “Do not unto others which would cause pain if done to you.” Similar concepts are expressed in many other religions and philosophies throughout history.
This has had me thinking recently about the things I do for my friends and family. You see, I absolutely love CrossFit. I love being strong and healthy, I love the confidence I have gained since I started it, I love teaching it and watching people get stronger and more confident themselves. I just plain LOVE CrossFit. However, I hate to completely overwhelm everyone I know with it. I know that CrossFit is not for everyone so I try to be respectful of that and not go completely over the top bat dung crazy encouraging people to try a class and sign up. I also try not to talk about it all the time (although I am often not very good at this part).
I want great things for YOU. So this is me telling you to get off your couch and go try CrossFit. Yes, you can do Zumba or something else that is active, but that is not the thing that I am passionate about so it isn’t something I can help you with. I can help you with CrossFit. I want you to feel the fear of a workout followed by the glory of completing it. I want you to learn how to move correctly and free of pain. I want you to meet these amazing people who I wake up every day excited to see. I want you to be strong and confident and healthy and live the beautiful life you were intended to live.
While I’m at it… I want you to do unto the people you care about as you would have them do unto you. I want you to call your friends, church members, neighbors and co-workers and encourage them to come try a class. I want you to help them be the best they can be and live the glorious life they were intended to live.
And THANK YOU to all of the incredibly awesome members of CrossFit Odyssey who do that for themselves and for the people they care about!