The "Is" of identity

This workout "is" hard!  It "is" hot outside.  That guy "is" pissing me off.  I "am" depressed.

The above statements are example of the use of the "is" of identity.  The "is" of identity involves the use of the "to be" verb and can contribute greatly to many of the misunderstandings we experience in our lives and many of the limitations and states of mind that we create for ourselves.

There are many great books that break this concept down in great detail.  I point people to the numerous works of my root guru Robert Anton Wilson and also to the excellent book, "Drive Yourself Sane: Using the Uncommon Sense of General Semantics" by Susan and Bruce Kodish.  In this short blog post I will attempt to give a quick breakdown on why one can benefit from working to limit the use of the "is" of identity and the "to be" verbs (is, am, are, were, will be,...) in thinking, writing and talking.

Look again at the first sentence that started this blog: This workout "is" hard!  I often find myself thinking like this in the middle of certain workouts or even before a workout begins, the minute I see it on the board!  When I think like this I seriously limit myself and my experience of the present.  Perhaps the workout is one that I have performed in the past, and in the past I found it difficult.  Why should I assume that my current experience will be identical to my past experience?  Why should I assume anything about the present experience?  When I use the word "is" I am cementing a value, an idea, a concept about the present experience.  I take an unknown and I label it, I put it in a cage from which it cannot escape.  If I tell myself or others that something "is" hard I am actively working to create a hard situation.

Now consider a re working of the sentence.  How different would it be if instead of telling myself, "this workout 'is' hard", I tell myself, "this workout looks like it 'might' be hard"?  This is a subtle change but has profound implications.  It might be hard, but it might not.  And what does 'hard' mean anyway?
 
We can see how this impacts on oour experience when we think of ideas like, "I 'am' depressed", or "I 'am' angry".  Are you depressed, or are you currently experiencing feelings of depression?  When a person says, "I 'am' depressed" do they really mean that they 'are' depressed....all the time, every day, every hour, forever?  How much more accurate is it to say, "I currently am experiencing the emotion of depression"?  This makes clear that we are not constantly depressed and will not constantly be depressed.  Talking, writing, and thinking in this was can open up many more doors of choice in life.
 
What does this have to do with CrossFit?  Everything.  The next time you walk in the gym and see a heavy workout on the board, or the next time you are in the midst of a challenging workout dont tell yourself and others how much the workout sucks or how hard it 'is'.  Instead try using language that leaves open the possibility for a completely different experience.  "This work out looks hard, but I bet we can kill it!"  Try that one on yourself and others and see what results you get.  Also try this in your life outside of the gym...open yourself up to surprise.  To quote my guru, "Universe contains a maybe".