Playing chess with sharks

I have a very big idea. Which might mean it’s a great idea, or it might mean it’s a terrible idea. Like the paleo porridge above? OMG heaven!!!

But it’s fun to incubate an idea. The next bit of fun will be to run the numbers, then, if the numbers work, go sell it. Man, I love sales.

Maybe it’s the air in Joburg that makes me go all woozy in the head. We are at altitude after all!

But also I really do like it up here. I like the hills and the trees and that it feels BIG. Cape Town is too small sometimes, and it’s also so beautiful that it’s like a fairy tale. People aren’t meant to live in such a place, fairies and unicorns are.

Probably more importantly, there are a lot of people that I like up here. Even though some of my faves were in Taiwan this trip, there are friends and acquaintances that I really wish I could see more often. It’s also that whenever I’m up here I learn at least one, if not several, valuable pieces of information. This visit has, so far, been no less mind-expanding.

Plus, since the CrossFit Regionals is upcoming, this has been less of a normal visit and more of a chance to catch up with some CrossFit friends: Lorinda & Branco (who did manage to teach me bar muscle ups and help my squat clean) and let me get to see lovely Krugersdorp in the dark and their awesome gym in a high school, bringing back memories of my own boarding school days, and the legend that is Richard Smith, who let me come and do some overhead squats at his gym. Coach may have told me not to go heavy but I still hit a new PB by 6kgs.

Someone did ask me what I was good at in CrossFit. I struggled to think of a single thing, other than, come to think of it, strict muscle ups! Makes up for my lousy kipping ones. No, it doesn’t. But that’s not really the point; we do specialise in not specialising. So I’m not good at anything per se but I’m decent at everything, although any good CrossFitter will be able to tell you their long list of things they’d like to be better.

You know I can only have fun if I don’t take this thing too seriously. The point is to push myself. I guess. Yeah I am a little banged up. Yeah it’s at altitude. Yeah there’s a chance my shoulder will give out and I’ll DNF in the first day. Shit happens. Heck if that happens at least my brain will be in better shape for my 9am Monday meeting (WTF was I thinking …. Oh yeah, sales. That.).

But you know what? I’m going go out there and do the best I can. In preparation for that, I’ve been sleeping 9 hours a night all week. I feel amazing. I won’t about five minutes into Jackie but whatever.

It’s like that lovely song that’s been all over the radio … I’m going to be an optimist about it. Why not? Always smile. You win some, you lose some.

And taking a page out of the book of my favourite vendor I am not seeing, sometimes the best way to win the war is to strategically lose a battle. Oh, you want to go with that cheaper option? Have fun with that.

It’s actually great. People are much more likely to learn by making a mistake than if you tell them the right answer. True story.

But on the other side, if you have a good idea and can figure out how to pull it off, you can maybe even win the battle before a single shot is fired.

If. The world runs on ifs.

It also runs on what might have beens. Those are my worst.

I’m starting to realise one thing, and that thing is that I am definitely not playing in the kiddie pool.

Time to go crush it.

• “So what are you good at? Besides strict handstand pushups?” “Ummmmmm. Nothing, really.” – David & Ellie
• “It’s amazing what people will pay you to do.” – Lance
• “You also can’t tell them too soon.” – Lance
• “When others don't see what you see, that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.” – J
• “People underestimate him. But not me. I don’t underestimate him.” – Branco
• “Ag! Nee!” – Lorinda (we were talking about talking behind other peoples’ backs)
• “I know what to look for and why to look for it.” – Harsheen
• “I think a lot of people in this company don’t realise we’re playing hockey.” – Kian
• “He can be a bit …” “…vindictive?” “You said it, I didn’t.” – Ellie & Doug
• “Wouldn’t it be nice to crush them?” – Doug (Yes. Yes it would.)
• “It was a bit scary actually. I could have put together those slides myself.” – Ellie
• “Just don’t stop.” – Richard (easy for him to say … he’s a machine!!)
• “Whenever I get too serious I take a week off.” – Richard
• “They call it re-marketing. They don’t call it creepily following you around.” – Andrew
• “It’s a good idea. The question is how to make it a valuable idea for you, and not a valuable idea for Ken.” – Andrew
• “So yeah I feel great right now but I know that in a week I won’t be able to think. Or walk. Sometimes I wonder why I do this!” – Ellie
• “I hope this is not incorrect.” – Stefan