Dear Fortitude family,

Welcome back to my midweek motivation! Each day and week brings its own set of experiences and inspirations, compelling me to share my thoughts with all of you.

It didn’t take me long in my recovery to recognize how many things in life I took for granted on a daily basis. It’s incredibly easy to underappreciate the smallest of things that are some of life’s greatest blessings. Often times, we don’t recognize them until they are taken from us. For six weeks, I am not allowed to walk or weight bear. I am also in an immobilized brace and have to use crutches everywhere I go. You don’t realize how much of a gift walking is until you can’t. Mine is temporary, yet there are people who will never experience the ability to walk again or have never even had the pleasure to take a single step. You may be asking, “Why is this relevant?” The reason is that when we walk around ignorant of the many gifts life has for us, we will never be fulfilled, regardless of our accomplishments. A life without gratitude is a life poorly lived.

As athletes and high achievers, it’s easy to get caught in the rat race towards perfection. It’s easy to be immensely hard on ourselves and outcome-driven. While those things can be beneficial towards accomplishing a goal, they miss the bigger picture. The biggest reward should be the ability to play the game in the first place. I get it, the higher you go, the more it becomes a job and business. It becomes second nature to forget that we are indulging in a child’s game. However, if we can reframe our thoughts and perspective to always appreciate the fact that we are even playing at all and find that little kid love in the game, then win, lose, or draw, we will experience a lot more joy in our life. Even deeper than that, if we can choose gratitude for every gift in our life and give the little things the attention they deserve, then we truly can never lose.

Now, a few things I want to clarify: No, choosing gratitude every day isn’t going to relieve the pain of a harsh defeat. No, it doesn’t mean you should be complacent and not strive for more. No, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be fiercely competitive. No, it doesn’t mean you’ll be happy 24/7. However, what it does for us is allow us to rebound from defeat quicker. It gives us the courage to go for more, knowing that success or failure, we’ve already won the game of life when we are aware of its blessings. It allows us to find joy even in our most mournful stages. It gives us a perspective in life that we can’t lose. Until the lights go out, there will always be something to be grateful for. Start choosing gratitude and watch your wins and, most importantly, fulfillment stack up. I know that no matter how down I am or how tough life is, it’s never void of blessings. I thought I did a good job of choosing gratitude. Now I’m sure I wasn’t. My pledge to you all is to never let the little things go unappreciated anymore. I understand I won’t be perfect. However, every day, I will choose to be grateful for something small because the small things add up and can be taken away at any time. Be aware. Be diligent. Choose Gratitude.

To Building Fortitude.

Warm regards,

Colin Jonov CEO & Founder, Athletic Fortitude

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