You feel it inside. There’s a yearning… a passion… a desire that longs to be satisfied. You can’t explain it, but there’s something about it that breathes life into you and gives you a pleasure that others can never know. It motivates you… drives you… compels you to answer its call. It is your next workout. Well, at least for some of us.
Sadly, most people don’t understand our love for exercise. They scoff at our dedication. They turn their noses to our sweaty clothes. They use the word “obsession” like it was a bad thing. But we feel the passion and energy that sport embodies. We turn a deaf ear to the critics and cynics. We listen to our bodies and our heart. We believe in fitness as a lifestyle rather than as an occasional activity.
We find others who experience the same kind of passion. We meet at the gym, on the court, or in competition. We form a fellowship based on the fire within. Our common bond is an uncommon spirit. We experience the joy of energy expended yielding energy gained, and of energy shared as energy multiplied. We know the power and the positive potential of obsession. We are athletes who are in it for the love, not the money.
The love is a personal thing, but you don’t have to keep it to yourself. You can spread the love to others. It’s something of a duty to not only carry the torch further yourself, but to pass it on to others. Here are some ideas for how you can spread the love.
- Be Yourself. If the love is in you, all you really need to do is to be yourself and the love will shine through. Health and fitness radiate far beyond sport. They are reflected in every facet of your life. You have an added strength, energy, and confidence that emanates from inside. Don’t try to mask it; be proud of who and what you are.
- Be Active. Nothing keeps the individual and collective energy going like activity. If you feel the love, act on it. Find ways to integrate it into your life. Strive to develop your potential in some way every day.
- Be Visible. Don’t be shy about your passion, let it show. It’s hard to spread the love locked in your room. The more others can see the dedication and development you exhibit, the more it can activate and inspire them.
- Be an Advocate. Look for opportunities to further the cause of fitness. Lobby for showers or an exercise room at work. Support efforts to develop community parks and trails. Promote the ideas and ideals of a healthy lifestyle. Work to make the world a better place.
- Be a Coach. You may take the knowledge you’ve gained over the years for granted, but others just starting out can benefit from your wisdom. Unsolicited comments are sometimes not welcomed, but a friendly conversation that leads into positive tips can open a new window of opportunity for sharing and growth. Whether informal or organized, coaching is a direct pathway for spreading the love.
- Be a Mentor. Positive encouragement and guidance don’t have to stop with sport. The lessons from fitness can be carried into the rest of life. Being a mentor is an enriched form of coaching. It reaches deeper inside. It can direct and mold the person, not just the athlete.
- Be a Role Model. Coaching and mentoring are mostly about “the talk.” Being a role model is about “the walk.” Showing and doing are more powerful than saying. Exhibiting the virtues often attracts more interest than extolling them in words. Lead by example. Show others how positive and energizing a healthy lifestyle can be.
- Be Supportive. There are thousands of worthy causes in the world. While you can’t support them all, you can purposefully select the ones you choose to support. Look for places and possibilities for sharing your time, talents, and financial assistance that directly relate to your inner passion. Support is more rewarding when it comes from your heart.
- Be a Volunteer. Give back to what you love. Enable and empower others. Don’t just get out of the way when you pass the torch, help keep it alive so others can thrive.