Be Agressive, B-E Agressive

How does one become more aggressive?

Last night, Mike told me I need to be more aggressive in my workouts. Zach has told me repeatedly to get more fired up. Gain intensity. Be explosive. For those who know me, I am not a very aggressive person. I will stand up for myself, speak my mind, and call you out when need be, but aggressive is not a word I would use to describe myself. I have certainly gotten better. I have gained a thicker skin and am not so nervous about trying new things. But I am not sure how to become aggressive. Is that something you can practice? Is it a skill you can acquire? Or is it just something you either have or you don’t?

I think a lot of it comes from the fact that I don’t like to draw a lot of attention to myself. I am almost more afraid of success than I am of failure. Does that make sense? I limit myself with weights, speed, intensity so that I am just average and blend in. Not that I am some hot shot, but I know I have more than I am giving. We got done with Fran yesterday, and after a minute of heavy breathing, I could have done it again. If I hadn’t been meeting a friend for dinner, I would have gone for a run afterwards. You shouldn’t feel that way after a crossfit workout. Your tank should be empty because you left everything you had on the floor. So is aggression a mental thing that has physical ramifications? Let your body take you as far as it can go and then get fired up to push beyond that. I suppose I need to stop having negative connotations of the word “aggressive” because it is not a bad thing altogether. I have to look at it as another tool or skill that needs to be worked on. If you have any suggestions on how I might do this, I am all ears. Maybe I just need to go back to my gangsta’ attitude of 7th grade…but even that was pseudo aggression. You can’t fake anything in crossfit.