April 28th, 2017
MOVING DAY EVE
As I sit here typing this out I really hope that I can articulate all of the emotions that I have felt and experienced over the last 5 years.
Sometime in late 2008/ early 2009 I found a website by the name of Crossfit.com. I could not understand anything on the page but I knew that it had something to do with exercise and fitness. I watched video after video and started making my own workouts and doing them at a local gym. Then in 2010 I found a competition by the name of The South Ga Throwdown. Now, I probably should remind you that I had only watched videos up to this point and had never even stepped into a CF Facility. But the idea of a bunch of fit people hanging out and exercising was rather intriguing to me. I had never experienced anything like that weekend, it was almost like I was in my utopia. There was suffering, laughter, good food, pretty women, barbells, and there were even people drinking alcohol and having a good ol’ time. I met people that weekend that wanted to know where my “box” was located. People wanted to know my name and where I was from and how long I had been doing CrossFit. Kris Morrill (owner of World Camp CrossFit), still laughs out loud about our experiences that we shared from that weekend. On the Sunday ride home I said to myself and outloud that I was going to open a CF gym in Dublin Ga.
So here we are, on the eve of our moving into our new facility. I can honestly say that I never intended to have a business. All that I really wanted was to share that same positive experience that I had in Albany with people in Dublin. That is really how we got here. It has been one of the biggest learning experiences of my life. I have lost “friends”(never go into business to make friends), I have made people mad (the owner has to be happy or no one will be happy), I have heard negative rumors about myself, I have heard that I only care about money(which is easy for people to say that do not own a business), and I still here how dangerous CrossFit is. But me being the optimist and realist that I am I have always focused on the things that I can control and focused on what I can do to get better. Here are some positives that have come along over the last 8 years…I have a beautiful wife that supports me, my dream, and my vision and lets me run our gym like a business, We have an amazing team in Stanley, Ashley, Brigett, Dana, Jack, Nick, and Faith, My wife and I have 2 beautiful boys, I have a great relationship with my family and I have great work life balance, and I have a deeper relationship with God. There was a time in my life when I thought that owning and running a gym would be easy and fun. But it is exactly the opposite and I would not have it any other way. I love the challenge of owning and running a business, I love seeing our clients have success, I love when someone gives me the opportunity to learn something new about myself, I love coaching and building relationships with our clients and our coaches, I love that fitness is constantly evolving and we must also do the same if we want to stay ahead of the game. So here is a cheers, to new beginnings, to hitting PR’s, to cultivating a better life experience, and to having a positive impact on other people’s life.
In closing I just want to encourage all of you to continue searching for your meaning and purpose. Spend some time alone with no distractions and stop letting social media dictate your life and emotions. If you understand yourself more you will have more to give. But if you are going through life with no intention or awareness of why you are doing the things that you are doing you are just going to end up like most people being unfulfilled and never happy enough or having enough. Seek a higher purpose, seek deeper and more meaningful relationships, and continue seeking God.
Onward and Upward, Eric J Bland