We can't Jelous our way to success

We can't "Jealous" our way to success or "Jealous" somebody out of theirs.

Insecurities in our lives happen for various reasons. Our pasts have more influence on us than we know. Im going to speak about some natural things that maybe happen when other people start gaining success.

Lets say somebody has come into some money, a better job, a sporting success, anything, you name it, the thing you really want that badly. We want it to right? So we immediately think of thats unfair, I wanted that. I think its a natural survival of the fittest deep wired caveman brain thing. That guy hunted and got a deer to eat, I want that deer by any means.

We are not Cavemen anymore and sometimes we need to realize the way we evolved and moved forward was our ability to reason, to share, to adapt and to create new ways of doing things. (Although amidst Corono and how it started we would think that we have gone so far backwards and maybe we have)

But anyway, back to it. Our first reactions can be

- undermining someones success: ah well they had a rich family and his dad owns the company. He was lucky to get an education. He just got lucky.

Somebodies "luck" or what they have achieved doesn't take away from your life, do you know that? Who the fuck cares what luck they have come across by you voicing it and trying to undermine them has it made that situation become yours? Well Bob you are right, he had a great education and got lucky, maybe we should give you the job, thanks for telling us.? Hell No. Its not the way it works.

What affirmations are you looking for in your life that you are looking for so hard that the very thing that was robbed of your life, you are robbing from someone else?

Perhaps nobody told you, you were good enough, now you continue to break people down.

By giving people, what you didn't get (not physical things or money etc) support, you can come across a great realization. That you can be your biggest fan. You can be your own encourager. You can believe in yourself.

Try it! Try and give to people what you never got, especially those looking up to you, see how the world changes. Will you gain success from it, maybe, maybe not, but sometimes gaining confidence, peace, courage are greater than gifts of many other things!

Try to give a little today. Be truly happy for one another success. We are, because others are, if the tribe is strong everyone is strong. Encourage and have somebodies back today rather than letting Jealousy creep in and steal your happiness.

What I learnt from my year of business: 5 lessons

Millions in the bank? Nope. Plenty of failures? Absolutely. Worth it? Of course. I never dreamed I would have my own business, I have always been the joint owner of ventures. Last year I stepped out on my own and I have learnt some huge lessons. 

This is what the gym looked at before I ever opened up. There was tons of equipment to move and a lot of cleaning to be done. I thought I would never be ready in time. 

On 1 Septemeber 2017 I opened the doors of my new gym in Witbank South Africa. I was tucked into a large workshop building a local school had no need for. The floor, a rugged, wrecked paint job on a concrete floor. The roof, a flaking damp polystyrene covering. The windows were cracked and broken. I had some close friends help me drill a pull up rig into the wall as well as put up my barbell rack. Besides that I had very little besides the dust on the floor and a big open space. I was terrified. On the Friday I opened I had three member start training with me not many had backed me in succeeding in the venture. Something in my heart was sure, I loved this, it was my passion to give to people this gift I had discovered while training at my old CrossFit Gym. 

I got some equipment and with the help of some amazing people who believed in me, I started putting everything in place. You can even see the floor not painted. I wish you could see the dust. 

1) Trust Yourself: 

If you have done your research, put down the original investment. It is time to trust in your own abilities and walk forth in the dream for yourself. Others may doubt you and even slander your attempts but trusting yourself is key. There is nothing like standing crouched down in an attempt to lift a heavy weight above overhead in a technical weightlifting movement and a couch shouts out "Trust yourself" its the same here. The results and small things will fall into place. 

I started coaching some youngsters from the school in preparation for their rugby season. I coached so many school kids and classes I just had about 5 outside members in my first 3 or so months. 

2) Start with what you have: 

Being over exposed financially is very draining. You do not need millions of rands worth of equipment to start coaching and helping people. A space and an opportunity is all you need to help someone shed 10 kilograms, get fit and change their lifestyle into one of health. Start small and start simple. 

3) Always put back into the business: 

Each month I make it a goal to add something extra to the gym. A dumbbell or two, some painting, some renovations. The members see this and appreciate you investing in the place they train. People start offering help and advice to make the place they train look good. People look after their equipment. 

Over the course of the year I slowly started adding equipment.

4) Look back once in a while:

To see how far you have come is probably the most rewarding thing ever! Take that time to celebrate the small successes. While aiming for the stars, don't forget to see how far you have travelled from earth. 

5) Be thankful and humble: 

Everything is given by grace and can collapse overnight. The economy could collapse, an earthquake could destroy a building. Always switch of your light of your business when you leave and be thankful for every thing you have. You have not conquered anything, it has only been entrusted to you for a brief time. 

Some of the members training

I have a member who through hard work and diet has lost over 45 kilograms. This week he lost another 5% body fat in one month and is making huge strides towards changing his life. The moments looking into his eyes and seeing him able to reclaim activities in his life, those are the moments you are so grateful to be part of the fitness industry.

Getting to help people get fit and in shape is one of the greatest joys I have. 

CrossFit changed my life

Recently I have had the opportunity to take over and become the part owner of a crossFit box. I guess this explains all my posts and training and comments on Facebook, and quite honestly, nobody that has been part of the community will ever understand, CrossFit has changed my life!

Competing at my first online competition (back in the black shirt)

Last year this time (I know because Facebook memories told me so) I was going through a tough tough time. I won't get into details but it seemed that a lot on which I had built my life on was falling apart. Its funny that in these moments, they physical things that are taken from you mean nothing compared to the spiritual and mental things. You feel so empty. I was in a dark dark place, a place I thought I had to pretend didn't exist, but it was so real, it was there when I went to ben, there when I went to sleep. My once "safe place" for community and love had become a place of hurt an deception, this isolated me even more. Rewind though some months...

One single meeting would have a ever lasting impact on my life. I met with Henri the Marketing manager of the mall and Francois early one morning to discuss an "Operation Smile" fundraising event. I had been on missions with the organization and raised a lot of money for them through my solo adventurers and my most recent expedition on bicycle from Cairo to Cape Town. The idea was to have a burpee marathon and get donors to give money to the charity depending on the amount of completed burpees.
The Mall would be the venue.
one question...at the end of the meeting,"So what do you do?"
"I run the CrossFit Mammoth, you should come check it out,"

I couldn't forget the words of the young passionate man talking about crossFit, I drove to Pretoria later that day and on the way back I organized to pop in at the CrossFit Mammoth. When I arrived, there was some as we would say now, "clanging and banging" going on, loud music, people laughing, smiling and lifting weights, sweating, lying on the floor and just having a great workout. I was hooked, I wanted in. The next day I checked in for my first workout...

And then two month in, everything seemed to fall apart, literally in the space of a week I had to walk into the box a different broken man. I couldn't hide it. There was something though that kept me coming back. Perhaps it was that there were no mirrors so I couldn't see the reflection of my broken self, or perhaps it was the sound of heavy breathing, of weights hitting the floor of music blaring that helped me ignored everything I was going through.

Back in training after a adventure trip in Europe 

But it wasn't any of those but at the same time was all of those, just mixed with human interaction, care and people just loving being amongst each other training. For a long time I would do three sessions in a row, work so hard that I could hardly move the next day. I cried in that box, laughed, had silly chats and deep conversations about everything I was going through. Not once was I judged, not once was I laughed at, not once was I not good enough. I learnt a lot in that year about patience and love.

Fast forward a year and the box is still going strong after challenges that would have sank the titanic. Sometimes I would sit and watch everything happen and get depressed, this was my home, a place that offered me hope in a time where I had none. So I committed to stay...instead of abandoning the people who were now as broken as me, crying out for help. I stayed and I learnt to look past things and instead forgive and love and never judge. I prayed everyday in the box, over the place and the equipment that it would be a place of hope once again. I spent many nights there with Francois and envisioned such big things for peoples lives to be changed the way mine was.

Yet still I was never really involved until a month ago where I was approached to become a director and co - owner of the box. At first I was confused and then I remembered every prayer uttered...
I was overwhelmed an absolute dream come true for me! And here I am in the community that changed my life, committing to change others lives and give back.

Before I started I used to think crossFit was senseless. A place to throw weights around and push yourself to unhealthy limits, but now I know better. From the moment you walk in the door you are stripping off your CEO, teacher, accountant, secretary, manager, miner...or any other title. You simply leave it at the door. You walk in for the person standing next to you, to be their spot and encouragement, and they walk in for you. You step into the "team" when you walk in the door. Into a community that loves you and is there for you no matter what. We are there to help with your first sit up, jump rope. row for time, muscle up pull up, squat, personal best...but then we are there for your worst, your failures, your stiffness, your aches and pains. Its more than a training gym or program it is a community of health and fitness.

Our Christmass WOD 

And if that doesn't change your life, the physical results will! I have been the fittest, with the lowest fat percentage of my life in my life. On top of that I have lifted the heaviest weights I have ever attempted! To look in the mirror when you get home and say "I am Keegan Longueira, I trained my hardest today, I gave my all at life, I ate well and tonight I go to bed, regardless of any situation, ready for a new day, to give my all, all over again...for me, that is one of the best feelings in the world.

I wish I could share the details of brokenness with you all, but it just doesn't seem right, it would make the story a whole lot better but perhaps one day you will understand why crossFit has changed my life!

Brand new start

Welcome to the new logo! We are so proud to launch this logo for future projects and plans we have going on right now. Again we can say to much but this is the start of some really exciting online programs and adventures that are going to be coming to you in a fresh new way.

The brand new website: www.keegan.co.za will be host to some incredible new and exciting content, we definitely will be doing adventure differently. Thanks to Innovative software Developments who have joined as part of our creative team. You guys have done an incredible job!

                                                                  We hope you like it!