What if your life were a movie and the audience could see the consequences of your choices long before you could? Sometimes the biggest turning point isn't dramatic at all, it's just whether or not you said yes when a friend invited you to try something new.
We’ve all heard the old idea that you should be the hero in your own story. Or the main character in the movie of your life. These are the kinds of lines that sound motivational at first, but eventually get watered down from overuse.
Recently, I heard a different version of that idea on a podcast that made me think a little deeper. The host posed a question: if your life really were a movie, which moments would make the audience yell at the screen?
The series of decisions we make regarding our health don't always have to be heroic, dramatic, or profoundly important. And not enough of us think about the impact and how meaningful what we choose not to do can be.
Take, for example, a man in his forties. Very out of shape due to any number of reasons, as life has a way of getting in the way. He used to be athletic. These days, he’s tired, much heavier than he wants to be. His knees hurt when he stands up. His kids want to play, and he avoids it without deeply considering why. His doctor has told him to take things seriously. He knows it, but he hasn’t done much about it.
One day, a friend invites him to try CrossFit with him. This friend, never one to work out himself, found something that works and simply thought to ask his friend to come give it a try and experience it for himself.
The man respectfully declines. He says he’s too busy. He says it looks intense. He says he’s not in shape enough to start something like that, and that it's too expensive.
And this is the scene where the audience starts yelling. Because they can see it so clearly. They’ve seen everything that came before this moment. They know where it’s headed. They know how this movie ends.
The tragedy is not that people make the wrong choice. It’s that they don’t realize they’re making one.
Nobody thinks they may be turning down their one last chance at meaningful change. They just think they’re being reasonable or practical. They think they’ll be 'more ready' later. That they’ll have more time. We've all seen this movie before.
You don’t get a signal. There’s no music building in the background. No dramatic moment that tells you this is the inflection point. You just wake up and keep doing what you’ve been doing, until one day it’s obvious that you waited too long.
So take the opportunity to flip the script. And instead of being in a movie with the audience yelling at the screen, they’re actually cheering for you in real life at your new CF gym or BJJ school.
Stories like these are all too common within the walls of great gyms. The coaches in the Gym Force network have not only seen the movies, they take an active and supporting role.
So ask yourself: if people were watching your life on screen, what would they be yelling the next time you decide not to prioritize your health?
Instead, imagine the possibilities if you took center stage.
And...ACTION!