Lessons from Jason Khalipa

You are always capable of so much more than you allow yourself to be. Here is a transcribe of Jason Khalipa's dialogue from the 2014 CrossFit Games feature video on CrossFit's Youtube page. Jason Khalipa is a previous fittest man in the world, owns several CF gyms in northern California, has two children under the age of 6, employs over 40 people in his businesses, has a corporate wellness deal with HGST to operate international mini CF gyms, and can still make it to 3rd Fittest Man in the world in 2014.

Khalipa: "It doesn't matter really how much weight it is, or how many sets or reps you do. You just have to move the bar. Know what I'm saying?"

Sherwood: "Grooving."

Khalipa: "Grooving. Its grooving, bro. (Long silence as he squats) Here is the reality - the reality of the situation is that you get what you put into life and hard work, you know, generally leads toward success and I'm working hard towards everything in my life. Whether it be in the gym, in the business, or for my family. Every day, all day, I'm sitting there asking myself the question 'What can I do to be better as a ? As a "X", as a father, as a husband, as a business owner, as a, you know, an athlete? And, uh, every day I'm striving to get better and better at that. And I think where it comes the time where lots of things are slipping that's when I have to reassess. Right now things are going good. Uh, you know I'm dedicated, I'm dedicated to winning the CrossFit Games, dedicated to being a good father and business man and whenever that time comes somethings got to give and it surely can't be the business cause that supports our life. And it surely can't be my family, so there is only one more thing left, so...but hopefully that day won't come. My goal is to keep a good balance and balance in life is really important. Balance and hard work. (Long silence as he continues to squat) You know a lot of people would think CrossFit Games athletes only work out for a living. (Re-racks weight) Truth of the matter is very few CrossFit Games athletes make a full time living just off the CrossFit Games, you know. Myself for example I have a full time job. I'm running, you know, a big company that employees (mumbled but possibly the word "a lot") people. There's a lot of CrossFit Games athletes that work. Garret (Fisher) goes to school and, uh, you know, it's just not the truth. People sit there and be like "Oh I could do that if I had all day to train. The reality of the situation is a lot of these guys don't. They're trying to run gyms. They're trying to support their families, support themselves. So I think people have the wrong impression about CrossFit Games athletes. Very few make a full time living. Very, very few off the Games. A lot of them have made sacrifices in their lives and I think people need to respect that. Anybody that makes it to the CrossFit Games has made a lot of sacrifices in their life. When everybody else is sitting on their couch, playing video games, or whatever everybody else is doing XYZ the Games Athletes? Those guys are training, those guys are pushing to get better at something and uh I'm just honored to be apart of that group when we all get to the Games, right? It just shows you know that you're sitting on a bus with some dude that dude worked his ass off to get there, it just didn't happen or it didn't just happen cause he didn't have a day job. It happened because he put in a lot of work to get there. Feel me?"