Sometimes life throws Chaos at you. When that happens you can do a few things to deal with it but one thing you need to be able to do is recognize it… this is a Focus 8 Program principle.
Today I received Chaos.
While travelling to Nice in the South of France I was attending to Focus 5, The Temple. What that means is that I was working out out a local gym. Everything was just fine but about an hour in I was performing deadlifts on a rack with about a 3 foot space in front of me. To my surprise three fit guys stepped into that three foot space and began to set up their weights. Literally putting their rear ends in my face.
Now I don’t speak French very well but I definitely got the message that I being an American was not welcome. I could hear them talking smack … I guess they were upset that I was way stronger than any of them.
This is the introduction of Chaos… question is what should I do? I have been blatantly disrespected and for no reason at all. I was furious. In my mind, my options:
- Tuck tail and run… Well that’s a Hell No!
- Get in a physical fight… no problem but… I am on vacation and my family would like for me not to be in jail.
- Be smart, keep my Focus, get satisfaction. That was my choice…
So how did I do that? Well, I gave no sign of them bothering me and kept my eye contact direct (Focus 1). Since I just finished my last set, I took the weight off my bar and placed it all on the ground in front of me in the workout space they were invading. I also placed random weight on their bar they were going to use. Lastly, I placed my bar on the rack in a position that would require them to move it. Then I left.
In effect, without a word, I made them clean up all my mess and made it clear I was smarter and not intimidated by their numbers. I felt great satisfaction at the outcome when they all scurried around swearing while picking up my weight…
Being a practitioner of the Focus 8 Program means you have to stand up for yourself intelligently. If you don’t do that, who will? It’s your life, your honor, your story.
Stay Focused,
Dax