You’ve got to meet Bryn…
Bryn is the owner and head coach at my gym Three Kings Athletics. He’s wicked smart, strong, funny, and caring. If you’re lucky enough to cross his path, he’ll motivate you to be a better athlete and a better person.
Our gym is a special place, and I can’t imagine my life without the people in it.
But I gotta tell ya, there was a time not that long ago, that I almost quit.
Why?
Maybe it was a bad day, an awkward moment, or a combination of both. I’m not 100% sure. But, I got the idea in my head that Bryn didn’t like me very much, and I found myself looking for reasons to confirm that.
I found myself thinking things like;
“He didn’t say hi when I walked in…did he even see me?”
“He seems so standoffish today…”
“I know that “Bryn face” was directed at me.”
(*note “Bryn face” is known throughout the gym as an unwanted expression that indicates “your form is bad…again…”)
My behavior toward Bryn started to change.
I kept my big cheesy grin and silly antics mostly to myself, and I stopped asking him questions. Eventually, I found myself avoiding classes he taught and contemplating switching gyms.
(that’ll show him…right?)
This went on for awhile until I ended up needing to go to some of Bryn’s classes because of my schedule.
I remember walking into our new location, kinda antsy because I knew I was going to be in his class.
Bryn greeted me with a big smile and asked how things had been going.
“Hmm… that’s nice!” I thought, and I relaxed a little.
It didn’t take long before I was enjoying his classes again, asking questions and dancing around like I normally do. It was fun, and you know me, when I’m having fun, it shows.
Things were different.
Man, I thought…”Bryn’s more engaged, smiling and even chatting with me. This is great!”
Finally asked I him “What’s different about you?”
(that caught him off guard)
He was polite and said he had fewer pressures at home, had new coaches on staff to help with the at the gym, etc.
Good enough answer… but it didn’t quite explain why things felt so different to me.
It dawned on me later, it wasn’t what was different about him… it was what was different about me.
(insert facepalm)
Looking back I could see that, Bryn was blissfully unaware of what I had rolling around in my head.
He was doing his own Bryn thing.
I was the one feeling awkward.
Dang it.
You see, I got the idea in my head that he didn’t like me, started searching for reasons to believe it and then started acting like that idea was true.
Did I ask Bryn to confirm or deny my thoughts before I launched into all of my awkward behavior glory?
No.
Ever find yourself in this kind of situation?
It’s easy to get wrapped up in thoughts that are fueled by misinterpretations, miscommunications or our own self-doubt.
All is not lost, you can catch it sooner than I did by asking yourself this one simple question;
Have I talked to the other person to confirm what I’m thinking is true?
If you haven’t, then go… talk to the person. Best-case scenario you’ll find your thoughts aren’t true. Worst-case, if there’s some truth to your thought, you can work through the issue before it gets ugly.
In my case, all ended well. Bryn was gracious enough to let me feature him in this post… knowing that I’d be talking about how I made things awkward. I get to keep working out at my favorite place with some of my favorite people.
Life is good.
What’s your go-to response when things start to feel a little funny with someone? Comment below and let’s keep the conversation going!
P.S. No athletes were harmed in the creation of this post. 🙂