One of the things that I love about a heist movie is that every person on the team has a specific expertise. They may not be needed for every heist or they may only be needed for a short time, but they’re ready to do their part at any point in the caper. And the person in charge knows everyone’s role and knows when to call any specific person into action.
What does this have to do with you and your practice?
Well, your practice is a heist, of course, and YOU are the person in charge.
You are seeking a specific result whether that result is incorporating something into your daily life or achieving a specific end goal. You need information in order to make that happen. You may need specific equipment. You need a way to track your progress. AND you need people beside you – literally, virtually, or metaphorically – to make that happen.
So, who is on your team?
Actually, to echo the title of this post, who ELSE is on your team?
After all, you are on your own team.
And I am obviously on your team – I’ve been writing you every day since January 1 to remind of that.
So, that makes two of us who want you to pull off this caper.
Now you can figure out some more people who belong in this ragtag group of misfits who will rally together to make this happen…sorry, maybe I’m running with this metaphor a bit too much. 😉
Do you have specific friends who have either the expertise or enthusiasm to offer you support when you need it?
I specifically recommend including at least one friend who you can complain to, one who can boost your spirits /coax you into working on things when you are a bit meh, one who will say something like “Oh, come on, we’ll try this together.” and one who will have fun but odd solutions to your dilemmas. You may even find that one person can fill all of those roles?
Do you have someone who can trade expertise with you?
I’m good at creative solutions and troubleshooting. I have a good friend who is rocks at creating systems and tracking things. We trade expertise on the regular so neither of us has to spend a lot of time in the dregs of work that frustrates us. Someone like that makes an excellent team member.
Do you watch specific exercise videos on YouTube?
Why not consider those instructors to be on your team? Sure, it’s para-social and you probably can’t invite them to your birthday party but I’m pretty sure that anyone making fitness or meditation videos is wishing all of their viewers well, so that counts.
Are you part of a fitness class or program?
If so, that’s another group of team members. When I posted on Facebook this morning about my plans for Taekwon-Do practice, I tagged three people from my classes (who are definitely on my team) and moments later I had a response and an offer of support.
Many members of the blogging team here at Fit is a Feminist Issue are part of a group that is aiming for 222 workouts in 2022. They check in when they have done a workout and get encouragement and support. They don’t know everyone in the group but the whole group is on their team.
How about family members? Your doctor? Your therapist? The person you always see on your daily walk? The person on Instagram who posts about their workouts? The person on TikTok with the pep talks that you love? Your connections on social media?
Any and all of those people can be on your team*, even if they don’t know it. 😉
Unlike in a heist movie, you don’t have to literally recruit all of the members of your team.
If someone you encounter on a regular basis brightens your day, helps you feel inspired, or reminds you to focus, you can consider them part of your team.
In fact, you don’t even have to limit yourself to human team members. Your dog, your cat, your lizard, or the crow you see on the mailbox on the corner can all be part of your team, if you want them to be.
Today’s Invitation
This whole post is kind of an invitation but let me be even more specific here:
Today, I invite you to consider the team that’s working with you to help you establish your practice.
These might be people you have asked for help or they might be people (or animals) that you encounter regularly as you build your habit. They can be directly offering help and support or they can be motivational or inspiring in some other way.
Even if you are working on something on your own, you are not alone.
Creating a list of team members can really help you to see who is cheering you on.
Here’s your gold star for today, whether you are listing your team or happily flying solo.
Your efforts count, your work matters, and you will find your way forward.
*I realize that not everyone you know is on your team and that’s ok. While it would be great to have universal support, you don’t actually need it. You can proceed without their approval. Even though it can really suck if someone close to you is creating obstacles, I hope you can find ways to ignore them, to work around them, or to build your practice in spite of their opposition. Personally, I have had a fair bit of success with spite-fueled missions so don’t worry if you have to use that tactic.
About the Go Team! posts:
For the second year in a row, I’ll be posting a Go Team! message every day in January to encourage us as we build new habits or maintain existing ones. It’s cumbersome to try to include every possibility in every sentence so please assume that I am offering you kindness, understanding, and encouragement for your efforts right now. You matter, your needs matter, and your efforts count, no matter where you are applying them. You are doing the best you can, with the resources you have, in all kinds of difficult situations and I wish you ease. ⭐💚 PS – Some of the posts for this year may be similar to posts from last year but I think we can roll with it.
