Take Your Mark

“On your marks, get set, GO!” 

A phrase echoed through a natatorium or an arena. A phrase that brings a moment of calm and clarity while also insinuating intense focus and preparation. A phrase that postures a runner or swimmer to take their place on the blocks and coil into position in anticipation to explode into action.

It’s interesting because everyone focuses on the moment where the starter says, “GO,” but no one thinks about the “on your marks” part. See the starter won’t say go until everyone is on their marks, and if an athlete messes up their mark, and isn’t set – it can lead to disqualification or penalties. “On your marks” is a call to action. For athletes, “on your marks” calls the athletes to their starting position for a race. Preparing the athletes to pursue their desired outcome, the target of the finish line drawing them in.

Taking the mark as a call to action means there’s no time to waste, there’s no second guessing the preparation or asking for more time. When you take your mark, despite feelings of fear, or uncertainty, you’re getting in position, ready to fight towards the goal. So as we have navigated January, using this month to create vision and discover the target that’s drawing us in, shouldn’t we also respond to the call to action of taking our mark on the blocks of life as we prepare to spring towards our goal?

So what does that look like? How do we take our mark in our personal lives?

It starts with our mind. Understanding that a goal and vision for the year isn’t a simple task. It’s going to be something we are striving for over months. There’s going to be ups and downs, setbacks and leaps forward. We have to recognize that first and then focus our mind on the desired outcome. If the target has already drawn us in and we’ve aimed our ship in that direction, then we’ve also visualized how to make that goal a reality. Imagine Michael Phelps on the blocks in the Olympics; the preparation, the vision of the goal, all building to the moment he takes his mark. He knows his desired outcome and he knows what it takes. On the biggest stage in the world; nerves, fear, excitement, his vision is clear to explode into action and race to the finish. His mindset is clear, focused on one thing – winning. We must have the same mindset to achieve the goals we set for ourselves. The Bible even references this in Colossians 3:2 where it says, “Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.” This shows us that God’s desired target drawing us in should be where all of our attention goes. As we know, the mind controls the body. Start with the mindset and our body will know to follow.

Once we establish the mindset, we can coil ourselves for action. Think back to the athlete on the blocks and how they position themselves in the ready position to spring towards their goal. That ready position for an athlete gives them the most strength and power and the best chance of reaching their goal. Our ready position off the block should be no different in life. We should be poised with our plan ready for action like the athlete ready to put all the practice and workouts and training to the test. Think of the weeks we’ve spent leading to now and the time we’ve spent developing who we are and the direction we want to go. All of that preparation and the path set before us; that is the positioning of our bodies in the ready position. Once we have done that, there’s only one thing left to do, and that’s leap into action.

I encourage you to ready yourself, to take your mark in life. With a clear vision and a plan of action, you can do it. Together on this journey we have prepared to make 2021 the best year yet. Aim the ship, discover the target drawing you in, take your mark and prepare to GO!

WORKOUT

With this week focused on loading into the ready position, we should also focus on loading our body and core into the ready position to reach our fitness goals. This exercise is designed to help us take our marks and develop strength and stability, to provide us a better opportunity to explode towards the fitness goals we’ve set for this year.

Go through each block 3x. Perform 40sec of exercise to 20sec of rest. Take a 30sec break after each block is complete.

Block 1:
1. Air Squats
2. Step Ups (alternating leg each step)
3. Push-ups

Block 2:
1. Burpees (w/Jump)
2. Squat Step Backs (start in squat position and alternate reaching back with each leg)
3. Speed Skaters

Block 3:
1. Plank Get Ups (alternate each arm leading)
2. Shoulder Taps
3. Mountain Climbers

Block 4:
1. Crunches
2. Flutter Kicks
3. Lying Side Bends (lay on your back and bend side to side – reaching hand to heel)