Open The FN Door

To The Collective Fitness Community,

We often stand before a closed door. It's an obstacle we think is too big to overcome. We shout, we struggle, we fight against what feels like a strong, unstoppable current. We're like a child in the water, convinced we're about to drown, thrashing frantically. Panic takes over. We use all our energy fighting. When the truth is the bottom is just inches away, we could easily stand up. Yet we never try anything new, we just thrash harder in hope that it works.

There is a lyric from the rapper, NF "The door is locked, but the key is in your hands." We see the door, and our first thought is that it can't be moved. It is not that we already have the tools to open it. We let the imagined size of the problem control how much effort we put in, instead of seeing the ability we already have inside us.

This isn't about making huge changes all at once. It's about realizing that the difficulty we feel, the "lock" on the door, often comes from our own thoughts, not from outside forces. It's the voice that asks, "Can I really do this?" instead of confidently saying, "I can."

The way forward, the way to unlock that door, starts with this quiet understanding. It means we need to look at our own hands for the key we've forgotten. It calls for the discipline to do what's right, even when we don't feel like it. To call upon our own skillsets and teachings to overcome almost anything before ourselves.

You control how you react to these challenges. You control whether you decide to stand, to find your footing, even when your mind tells you you're sinking. The struggle is real, yes, but often, the hardest part of the struggle is our own fear of what's not there.

So, when you face a locked door, when the current feels too strong, remember: the key is inside you. You decide if you stand or if you drown in shallow water.

The choice, as always, is yours.

With Strength & Wisdom

Charlie