Think Like A Gardener, Work Like A Carpenter

I was listening to the Jim Rome show this morning and one of the coaches that he was interviewing reminded me of an inspirational quote/analogy I heard a while ago. It is from Daniel Coyle, who wrote the book, “The Little Book of Talent”, however, I remembered him by the movie he inspired, “Hardball”, one of my childhood favorites. The quote goes: “Think Like A Gardener, Work Like A Carpenter”. I think this is a pretty awesome and simple analogy for anyone looking to reach their full potential. Although everyone has there own interpretation, I thought I’d share mine with you, today. These Fridays seem like “Inspirational Fridays”, don’t they?

Thinking like a gardener symbolizes patience. Like gardeners, all athletes must lay the groundwork, the soil, or the fundamentals first. They plant “seeds” or goals in which the outcome is unseen or unclear. But you still plant them. You just have to trust that with a little work and care, they will grow into something big. But if you don’t plant, nothing grows. An added plus is if the athlete has the mindset of an organic gardener in restraining from using a genetically enhancing fertilizer to speed up the process. Like a gardener does with their seeds, athletes also must constantly check back on their “goals” with care and must tidy up anything that messed up the soil along the way. If you neglect to give your seeds basic water and sunlight, your seeds die and then you must start over.

Working like a carpenter symbolizes being precise. Good carpenters don’t make wobbly chairs or tables. Cutting your measurements short, not sharpening your edges, or not tightening your screws makes a really uncomfortable and unsafe piece of furniture. The same goes with taking short cuts on movements like your Olympic lifts! Just as embarrassing as it is to fall on your ass while sitting in a sketchy, 5-minute made IKEA chair, so does doing the movements without regards to the specifics and hurting yourself or, even worse, looking like Diamond Dave.  An athlete that adds more focus on the quality of their work and not just the “base of support” will always be better off.

So unleash your inner gardener or carpenter (Kern)-ness! With a little more patience and precision in your training, the goals that you set can be reached.

**BBQ and Kombucha Party on Sunday after the 11:00am class!** 

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Friday’s WOD:

A.)
EMOM for 4 Minutes:
5 Clean and Jerks

EMOM for 4 Minutes:
3 Clean and Jerks

EMOM for 4 Minutes:
1 Clean and Jerks

B.) AMRAP in 7 minutes
2 Pullups (ADV: Bar Muscle Up)
10 Double Unders (ADV: 40)

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Thursday’s WOD:

A.)
Front Squat
5-5-5-5-5
*Sets Across*

B.)
10 minute AMRAP
15 Box Jump (Games Standard)
12 KB Swing 53/35
9 Pushups w/ hand release