The Ready State

The earliest "fitness" testing - mostly written for military and paramilitary organizations, like police forces - measured the "ready state." The question which the tests were created to answer: Is this candidate ready and able to act at an appropriate level?

'Fitness' is ephereal. It's hard to measure in an objective, replicable way; but that's why we like CrossFit, isn't it? Objective and measurable. Well, "ready" is just as slick; trying to define "readiness" without using the word "prepared" is like trying to nail green Jell-O to the wall.

"So, five years in, here's where you are: six staff, hundreds of members, no partners. Annual revenues are covering expenses. You JUST wrote your first business plan. You have no written objectives; no recorded business - or personal - goals.  How did you get this far?" It wasn't a rhetorical question. I was fast learning that, when The Consultant asked, he really wanted to know the answer.

"Well, a lot of luck," I said. "First off, my original partners - aggressive business-types - started doing Personal Training with me at an old workplace. They pitched the idea of going solo when I was most desparate for more income. Then Mike Watson - with whom I'd been training and studying for nearly a year - decided to come with me. So did Jo Ann Bailey, the best RMT for rehab around. We got funding for research early." I was ticking lucky strikes off my fingers. "A year and a half in, Tyler approached us for work. Our exercise adherence study had led us right to CrossFit, and we formed a free trial group. In that group was Whitney, who's now our OnRamp coach, and Kris, who's now a tenant with his supplement store." I was ready to keep going, but The Consultant stopped me with the palm of his hand.

"You call that LUCK?" he said, looking genuinely surprised. "I call that being READY.  You were READY to leave the old place. You were READY to work with the best Trainers and RMTs. You were READY - mature enough - to ask questions and learn and embrace change.  That's a ton of hard work.  You can call it smarts or foresight, but calling it luck? That's bullshit."

 

Comments

[PXT Cody - CrossFit eXcellence, Lake Oswego]

Hahahahaha! Agreed!
Sometimes looking back things seem pretty serendipitous but each time we have encountered "luck" it seems to have followed a ton of hard work.

[Kath Fryia]

So happy someone you respect is telling you how great you are, I hope you believe him, cause we all do.