Building Connections: The Heartbeat of Our Community

At the foundation of our Five Factors to Health & Happiness lies CONNECT. To better understand why it’s so important to our community and how it relates to every person that comes through our doors, I’d like to explain the origins of how we came to be. The following is an excerpt from “Our Story” tab on our website:

The birth of our community started out of Jason's (aka Tron’s) garage in the summer of 2016. The crew became known as “sTRONgFit” YXE when we opened our doors at our original location that fall, as everyone that was a member had been previously coached by Jason and chose to follow him. Thanks to all of our first members, coaches and pillars of our community, we now had a strong foundation and sense of direction.

In 2017 we chose to become a CrossFit affiliate and StrongFit YXE became the home of “CrossFit CL” (roman numeral for 150). Our CrossFit affiliation opened the doors for us to give others an opportunity to experience the same joy in exercise and the same positive and supportive culture that we’ve established. So we have moved to use our affiliate name CrossFit OneFifty (CL), to better define our purpose as a gym and community, and include everyone beyond the original sTRONgFit crew.

The number 150 refers to Dunbar’s number principle; we can maintain about 150 meaningful relationships at a time, have about 50 friends, 15 good friends and 5 really close friends. Our goal and purpose is to help our members cultivate these connections, as part of our 5 most impactful factors to health and happiness - EAT. SLEEP. MOVE. THINK. CONNECT.

At the center of our logo is a star with five points. You are the star, with the five factors making up our points that are within our reach. These are the factors that are within our control that have the greatest impact on our health and happiness. Each circle beyond ourselves makes up our social circle and environment.

Jim Rohn, a motivational speaker, once said, “we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.”

This ties into the law of averages, suggesting that the outcome of any situation will be the average of all outcomes. Forming deep and meaningful relationships is the cornerstone of leading a happy and healthy lifestyle. The nature of these relationships determines how successful we are at achieving this.

“Meaningful relationships provide the opportunity for three key benefits: exchange of support, social engagement and sense of worth - all major pillars for the foundations of healthy aging.”

Our environment and how we spend time together have changed a lot in the past decade. With social media and electronic communication, it’s easier and faster to connect with each other. Whether it’s messaging friends, sharing relatable videos on TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook, or joining group chats…the ways we bond have fewer limitations, allowing us to form stronger relationships with less effort. We can explore and share our thoughts and personalities with just a few taps, making it easier than ever to connect.

But how does this translate into meaningful connections?

It starts with awareness. If you’re constantly consuming and sharing content, is what you’re sharing in line with who you are or want to be? Are you expressing gratitude and appreciating what you have, or are you comparing yourself to others and focusing on what you don’t have? Are your conversations helping you grow, or holding you back? Think about the areas of your life you want to improve and whether your current actions support that growth.

Our connections can help us achieve our goals.

Whether it’s going to the gym with a buddy, making friends at the gym, signing up for fitness or nutrition challenges, or trying new activities like pottery classes, yoga, or skydiving, find people who share your interests and are open to new experiences. Ask about your friends’ hobbies and maybe join them sometime. Use social media to explore things you’re interested in but haven’t tried yet. Form new connections or strengthen existing ones to enrich your life with new experiences.

Speaking of new experiences that help you connect, we’re hosting several Bring-A-Friend Days in June! Whether you’re a current member or not, come on down and invite someone to join you. What do you have to lose?

I’ll see you there

- Jason

Jason TrinhComment