Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey everyone, I wanted to take a moment of time to express how grateful I am to have you all in my life and the success during this first year of business at CFD.  My life has gone many different directions since I left home at the age of 17 to join the Army, and I would have never guessed at 28 I would be sitting here reflecting on a year of owning my own business doing what I love every single day.  It’s weird to put into perspective:  in some ways, I still feel like a 20 year old, and in others I feel much older than I am.  There are many very different chapters I’ve gone through already, and I’m grateful to have led a life thus far of such quality.  There have been no wasted years, that’s for sure!

A little over a year ago, Mike and I decided to take a risk and open up a business–the first of it’s kind in the area–in a town neither of us were from.  The bank wouldn’t give me a loan or even a line of credit, and I had dumped just about everything I could afford to spend from my savings working overseas into this new endeavor.  I kept just enough out that I could afford to live without a paycheck for about 6 months.  I knew that if it didn’t work, I would have nothing to show for it but a bunch of rubber weights, a SHITLOAD of heavy rubber mats, and a pullup rig I couldn’t fit anywhere else!

This wasn’t just a business I though I was going to get rich from.  Quite the contrary, actually–it’s tough to really be well off doing what we do.  Instead, this line of work was a result of wanting to do something we were both passionate about.  CrossFit changed a lot about the way I looked at life, and though that may sound like a bold, cheesy statement, it’s very true.  Few things are as humbling as having your manhood humiliated in a workout by someone who looks very unassuming in front of a group of people!  That’s why the CrossFit community is composed of the best quality of people that I’ve met anywhere in the world; we are all willing to admit we have weaknesses, leave our egos at the door, and get better.  We are the minority, and we should be proud of it.  It’s never easy to admit you’re wrong, but until we do, you’ll never learn how to be right.  Same goes for being fast, strong, and flexible.  For many of us, the WOD is the hardest thing you’ll do all day, every day, yet we keep coming back for more.  Very rarely do are any of us ever faced with an actual life-and-death situation, but damned if we wouldn’t perform at our best because of what we do every day at the box.  We WILLINGLY put ourselves through it–we suffer–because we want to be better tomorrow, and we want to be prepared for the unpreparable.  Few people have the balls to keep doing that, and plenty don’t keep it up because of it.  In the words of Coach Mark Rippetoe, ‘I welcome you to the community of people who have decided that EASY will no longer suffice.’

I think back to where we were one year ago, almost to the day, when we started our very first Foundations class of 7 people.  Losing money every month, very small class sizes and very few classes a day, constantly anxious about whether or not I would be able to continue to pay my rent, both at the box and at my apartment…I certainly had moments of doubt!  Would I have traded it all for a bigger paycheck and to be back in Baghdad doing something that I had begun to despise?  No way.  I was meeting incredible people every time we started new classes, and–even more inspiring–seeing the ones who stuck it out grow exponentially better in their abilities.  It was the most rewarding feeling I had ever experienced of all the things I had done in my life: meeting someone for the first time, seeing the potential, taking them under your wing, watching them grow, and in some cases eventually passing me in many areas!

To look at the last year and see what all has grown as a result of that 2000-sq. ft. sweat box–the friendships started and strengthened, walls torn down, confidence built, and laughs had–pride doesn’t even begin to describe it.  As I sit here trying to express my gratitude, the words really don’t do it justice.  Simply put, I couldn’t be happier at how far we’ve come.  Sure, we’ve had bumps in the road, and everyone has their days, but overall…what an amazing trip it’s been so far!

My pledge to everyone at CFD is to never take what we do for granted, and I urge you all to do the same.  We are all here for the same reason and have such an amazing community of incredible and diverse people.  Integrity, open-mindedness, and maybe a little thick skin is about the only thing you need to fit right in with us!

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving, and take a moment to reflect on the things you’re grateful for.  Thank you all more than words can express–I couldn’t be doing this without you.

–Phil