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.

Here at CrossFit Odyssey I have seen amazing examples of the Golden Rule. We have been very lucky here when it comes to our membership – they are not only hard working, fun people, but they really care about us and about their friends and family. One particular group we have is the Christ the King group. This is an amazing group of mostly men and a few wives and of course, Father Arthur. What I find most amazing about this group of men is not that they have so much fun at CrossFit or that they work so hard, but that they really look out for each other. These guys literally seek out friends, church members, neighbors and co-workers to come workout with them. They do it partly for the fun, because CrossFit is always better with friends, but they also legitimately care about the health of their friends.

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).

The problem with that behavior, however, is that I feel as if I’m not doing them any favors by not pushing them. You see, if I were unhealthy and needed to take better care of myself, I would want my friends and my family to tell me I need to get in shape. I would want them to encourage me, push me, bother me and possibly even drag me to the gym and make me take care of myself. I would want them to remind me how precious life is and how my life is not going to be as fulfilling or as long if I don’t take the steps to better health. I would want them to remind me that my children are watching what I do and are probably going to follow my example. I would want them to remind me of all of the amazing adventures I have left to live.

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.