A Rant About Support

NoelFigart1

(We're watching Frodo and Sam climbing Mount Doom in Return of the King)

My Husband: Somehow when I look at that, I see you a quarter of a mile off cape Gris Nez.*
Me: Possibly, but no-one can carry me there...
My Husband: No, but I will be in a boat beside you.

My husband is obviously into my athletic goals. And yeah, it totally rocks.

I've seen a few posts here about how people feel unsupported by their families. Some people will say that you have to be your own support, and that you can accomplish great things all by yourself.

That's nonsense.

Now, you do not necessarily need support for a big goal from a specific PERSON, true enough. But the big goals, the ones that really matter? By God, yes, you do need support.

That's why this message board is so active.

If you have a goal of lifting a certain amount of weight, yes you have to do the training yourself, right enough. But to blow off the coaching, family that helped shop to get you the food that would support your growing muscles, the environment you might surround yourself with, the advice you get from other weightlifters is really crapping on the help you're getting.

I'd like to challenge people who feel unsupported to do a couple of things.

a) Realize that yes, you are ultimately responsible for setting and meeting your goals.
b) TELLING the people close to you what you want and/or need
c) Realize that support comes from all sorts of places, not just the places the romantic stories tell us it has to. If your family isn't supportive, get support somewhere else, if the goal is that important to you.



*Cape Gris Nez is about 21 miles from Dover, England. I'll leave you to do the math about what he's alluding to.