By: Payton Cowan
One thing that has become certain throughout the years of growth for powerlifting, is that it is most certainly a community sport. There are very few people in the top level of the sport that make it there without the support/help of someone in their corner.
While there are some few who like to claim “all this work was done myself” , oftentimes it is just an egotistical statement, made with no truth backing it.
Considering the community based nature of powerlifting, it is essential that realistic positive affirmation is provided to the community, in order to see it grow.
By “realistic” I mean don’t be “yes” people for everyone, if someone is doing something that is going to get them hurt I don’t want to support cheering that sort of behavior on. However, you can also reach out to them in some private medium and discuss what they are doing there, rather than being negative in public.
One of the most prominent forms of connection to the community is social media, whether than Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Which is what I will be discussing in detail today.
When presented with a social media post I find it important to comment or reply with something positive which could potentially help the lifter feel better about themselves.
There are three benefits to being positive with your community: growth of the community, helping someone feel confident in themselves and their actions, and seeing change in yourself.
Comments Drive Positivity
Providing positive comments and feedback to the community will inevitably lead to more individuals feeling the drive to join your community solely based on the image you project into the world.
If you are informative and kind, people are going to be drawn to that which will see the growth of whatever that community is a part of. Not only that, you see more people replicating the same behavior as you, so if you lead by example now, in the long term you will see extreme payoffs by having a very healthy supportive community.
Self Confidence Kills
One of the biggest plagues in today’s society is self-confidence and the lack thereof. Many people suffer from extreme second guessing on every action they make, to the extent that they begin to doubt the reliability of their decision making processes and their performance for any task at hand.
Affirming someone that they are doing well, and that you support them allows them to consider that they may be too hard on themselves and could potentially cause a mental reframe that allows that person to make decisions and do tasks without having to doubt themselves.
Displaying positive messages and attitude towards other people leads to a positive change in personal self confidence. Think of the last time you were rude to someone (that time that you randomly think of at night that keeps you up from how embarrassed you are about it) because everyone has one.
Think about how being rude to that person made you feel, I can nearly guarantee that it was not a positive experience.
The opposite is also true, being kind to others reciprocates upon oneself and causes a positive change in attitude, which then intertwines with the other two steps.
In conclusion, while it seems that many of these points that I propose about being nice are the same or very similar, they are not. However, they are aligned with the fact that they all intertwine with each other in an endless cycle. Putting positive energy into the world can be the catalyst for an endless cycle of positivity. All it takes is the first step, are you willing to take it?
FOLLOW THEIR JOURNEY
If you are looking to follow and learn from some amazing people and powerlifters follow the links below for some great stories. Or if you are looking for programming, you can find our free programs here or you can reach out to one of our team members to see how to take your training to the next level.
- Max Hall
- Payton Cowan
- Brandon Dudley
- Brian Morehouse
- Cydney Bushue - Insta and TikTok
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