Coast Range CrossFit

“Burn the Ships!”

Take away the option to fail and create a journey instead of goals in 2019.

A 2014 national Gallup poll put the average Americans work week at just over 47 hours, or 9.4 hours per day, with many saying they work over 50 hours per week. A 2004 study, published by the CDC’s department of Health and Human Services, showed that extended shifts and regular overtime were not doing us any favors. People who regularly worked overtime or long shifts were:

1. More likely to gain weight or fall ill.
2. Less productive than those who worked 8 hours a day or less.
3. More likely to get injured on the job.

Another study by the Gallup poll said the average American sleeps around 6.8 hours a night, down from 7.8 in 1942. The World Health Organization says the following issues have a direct link to less than ideal sleep:

1. Higher risk of all cause mortality.
2. Up to a five times greater risk for developing depression.
3. Twice as many doctor visits or hospitalization.

As we head into 2019, there’s no better time than now to take a step back and reassess if our busy, crazy, no time to do anything lifestyle is worth the long term effects listed above. In 2019 I’m adopting a new motto “Burn the Ships!”. What’s this all about?

This phrase “Burn The Ships” comes from Spanish Conquistador Hernando Cortez. In 1519 Cortez landed in Mexico on the shores of the Yucatan, with only one objective… seize the great treasures known to be there, hoarded by the Aztecs. When Cortez and his men arrived on the shores of the Yucatan he rallied the men for one final pep talk before leading his men into battle, and uttered these three words that changed the course of history. “Burn the Ships”.

Cortez took away any option of failure. The only choice was to win the battle. Our battle in 2019? Stop the rat race, no time attitude, poor health ship we’ve been on and seize the greatest treasure there is: health and time!

Here’s how I see us winning the battle in 2019.

Step one: “Burn the Ships!”

Your ships are anything that holds you back from your goals:

• Poor nutrition choices
• Bad sleep habits
• Expecting too much of ourselves with the time we have in a day
• Keeping food in the house we know we shouldn’t eat
• Friends and family who don’t support our goals

Step two: Create a journey, not a goal.

It’s natural for us to create goals every year. Typically, we create goals we never stick to and end up feeling worse than we would have if we didn’t set the goal in the first place. Instead of setting goals, create the journey you want. Regardless of where you end up on your journey,  you’ll be happy with the outcome because the journey was the reward, not a specific goal.

Here is what I’m going to accomplish this next year and I challenge you to do the same.

The ships I’ll be burning in 2019:

Multitasking

No one can multitask. It’s impossible for the brain to focus on more than one task at a time. We can only switch between multiple focuses quickly. Doing this keeps us from putting our full effort into any single activity and usually ends in multiple things getting half way done. Instead of attempting to multitask, I will be blocking out my time to do “batch work” this year. Batch work is where you dedicate a certain amount of time to one single focus. For example: My Mondays will be spent on the task of writing educational blogs for our Coast Range community, Tuesdays I will focus on programming for my athletes, Wednesdays are working on our social media platforms for Coast Range Nutrition, Coast Range CrossFit, and my personal account, Thursdays I have meetings with my team on both the coaching side and nutrition side of Coast Range, Fridays I will create more content for our podcast, and Saturdays and Sundays are strictly family time (unless I travel for work that weekend).

Unscheduled meetings

The goal when speaking to an individual about anything, is to give them your 100% full and undivided attention. By engaging in unscheduled meetings (not to be confused with a quick conversation), my mind is not fully present on that individual’s needs. I will instead ask the individual if we can set aside time in the future to talk. This will allow me time to think about the individual’s question they have come to me with and better formulate a plan of attack that will actually work for them.

Here’s how I will find my journey in 2019:

How do I want to spend my time every day?

Developing coaches, affiliates, and athletes to recognize their true potential through actionable feedback and step by step guidance.

What do I want to learn in 2019?

I want to continue to develop my knowledge – specifically in the field of nutrition and sleep and its effects on the body. I believe this is where we can make the biggest impact on health in this world.

Who do I want to work and collaborate with in 2019?

CrossFit athletes, developing CrossFit coaches, affiliate owners, and leaders in the sleep and nutrition realm.

Based off of this journey I’ll be taking in 2019, there are multiple outcomes. I could end up starting a company that helps coaches around the world hone their craft. I could grow Coast Range Nutrition to new heights. I could send an athlete to the CrossFit Games. I could develop a course to help local affiliates grow their gyms to the success Coast Range has had. Any of these outcomes would be amazing, but I’m also okay with none of these happening because each and every day I’ll be doing what it is I want to do and the journey will be more rewarding than any end goal.

So, in 2019 I encourage you to “Burn the Ships!” and create a journey you’d want to live every day, with the people you want to live it with. Happy New Year, everyone!

http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/114101/E84683.pdf

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/03/how-the-8-hour-workday-changed-how-americans-work.html

https://news.gallup.com/poll/166553/less-recommended-amount-sleep.aspx

http://successsecretsatkempskorner.blogspot.com/2007/09/burn-ships.html