Decision fatigue is real y’all.

The average person makes 33,000+ decisions in a day and most of us believe that number is higher than it has ever been since COVID. While some of these decisions are small, like “what shoes do I wear?”, they add up and can make the bigger decisions take feel all the more taxing.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by decision fatigue right now, I’m gonna clue you in on the first part of a tool we use to decide everything we do in our gym.

A set of Values can help tremendously when making a decision. Understanding your values to the point you can explain it to your five year old means that you can change that feeling of unease or stress into a quick decision that you already made when you established the values in the first place.

These values can and should always be evaluated as you grow as a person and will adjust to new goals and expectations you have for you life.

Our gym is no exception!

We have always had 9 Values:

Respect: Everyone has had a different background, day, focus, and outlook before meeting you. Respect everyone’s beliefs, time, and personal space. 

Full Effort: When you come into class, give your full effort for that day. Some days that might look like just moving and others have you feeling like Thor! What matters is that you give your best effort each day!

Be Humble: Be open to criticism. We are trying to help you become the healthiest athlete you can be. We correct your form out of compassion and the desire to get you feeling your best!

Patiently Improve: Success is like moving a pile of dirt from one end of the room to the other. Some days you’re gonna get a shovel and others a spoon. Some days the wind will blow some of that dirt back or someone might just pour more dirt on your starting pile. What matters is that you wake up with what you got and keep moving. If you keep doing that, the dirt will get moved and your new pile will grow higher than you ever imagined to be possible!

Kindness: If someone is down, help them up. If they are having a bad day, lend them your ear. If a pupper is wanting some love, give them the kindest response you can. But, only if they are good boys. 

Be Prepared: Be ready when it’s your time for class. We want you to get the most out of each and every day. 

Timeliness: Show up on time and ready for what you schedule! We understand that Houston traffic is terrible and bosses want to keep you as long as possible. We want you to get the most YOU-TIME as possible! Don’t sacrifice the time you set aside to improve your health. You are a priority! 

Pride: We never wanna hear, “Yeah…but I did (sweat).” Have PRIDE in the effort you gave today. You worked just as hard as everyone else. Shout that “I just did FRAN!” Or “I just got my FIRST PULL-UP!” These accomplishments are just as important as anything an olympian could accomplish.

Honesty: Only write down what you have accomplished. Not what you wished you had accomplished. If you hit a weight but it wasn’t to depth, own up! You will for sure hit it next time and even more. Plus, it will make the PR that much more sweet when you do get it.

And after this year’s Annual Planning Meeting, our team decided there was one more that would really sure up what it means to be a Vegvisir Athlete:

Community: To not only take part in, but be a part of the greater Vegvisir Family. To support as much as you are supported. To be there losing your mind when a fellow athlete PR’s and to help when things aren’t as bright for that same athlete. 

It’s these 10 values that make decisions easy for us.

If something isn’t feeling right in our gym, we ask ourselves if it fits into these values. Chances are if there is a problem, one of these values isn’t being completely satisfied.

If you read or watched, “The Boys In The Boat.” you’ll know this line, “If it doesn’t make the boat faster, it doesn’t go in the f%&king boat.” 

Values are one part of the filter that determines what goes in the boat, and while it first sounded like corporate America non-sense, my life has only been made easier by creating a list of values and goals to filter all my decisions through.

So, the next question you should ask is…

What Are Your Values?

“This person really irritates me!”

“I don’t agree with that decision.”

“I can’t stand my boss!”

These things that are all said because something in that situation doesn’t align with your values, whether you are aware of them or not! We all have lines that we believe shouldn’t be crossed. 

So, what are yours? 

Try this drill:

If you were to die tomorrow, what are 3 ideals you would wish to stay in your household/family/friend group?

What are 3 things you can’t stand to see when you enter a business or gathering?

What are the polar opposites to those 3 things?

What are the 3 traits in a person that would embody those opposite things?

Lastly, make a sentence describing a person that represents those values. 

(We use this drill to hire our coaches and came up with this sentence to guide our choices: “Vegivisir CrossFit is looking for driven people to lead out community with joy and compassion!”)

Chances are, that person is you or who you are aspiring to be! Now that you’re aware of them, you can look at the things that are stressing you out most and plan some actions to correct it. 

None of us should be living with stress or anxiety everyday and knowing your personal values can make a huge difference in how you approach problems. They can also help you stay directed at your goals for life inside and outside the gym when things get tough!

If you did the exercise, I wanna see the sentences you came up with!

To talk with a coach today, click the link found HERE to schedule your No Sweat Intro