For five weeks this year, Emily Beers obsessed about the CrossFit Games Open—so much so that she became “a less-focused coach, a more scatterbrained writer, a more careless friend, daughter and girlfriend.”
But after such a month of “self-induced stress,” Beers stumbled upon an opportunity to gain some perspective: a trip to Haiti, when one of the members of CrossFit Vancouver planned to travel to the Caribbean country for charity work yet again.
“Having an opportunity to do something like this, to do some charity work in the poorest country in North America and one of the poorest countries in the world, is going to be quite an experience,” Beers said.
The objective was to get to a place where she could be more relaxed and joyful.
“I’m anticipating a shift in perspective,” said Beers, who finished second in the Open in Canada West and completed 13.5 shortly before heading to Haiti.
Video by Carey Peterson.
12min 55sec
HD file size: 236 MB
SD mov file size: 89 MB
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Additional reading: Three Days in Haiti, Part 1: Meet Julie Roberts by Emily Beers, published June 3, 2013.
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3 Comments on “Going to Haiti: A Shift in Perspective”
1
wrote …
Hi Emily,
I hope you have an amazing eye opening trip, a relief from the pressures of always pushing to go faster/heavier in the gym and the physical and psychological beatdown that gives a person. May you add new horizons to your outlook and new goals for your life outside the gym. I look forward to the next chapter and hearing about the process!!!
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2
wrote …
Emily,
Your raw honesty is encouraging and helping me to pursue my own authentic journey. Thanks for the shot of courage.
Sincere Thanks,
Don
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3
wrote …
Nice story. I think everyone should engage in some sort of charity. My parents always encouraged us to help those less fortunate. I personally hold my self to a few simple rules: try to help those who are least likely to be helped by others, ask them to pay it forward to three others in some way (in the style promoted in the film of that name) and I do these things in as anonymous a fashion as possible. Recognition for one's charity can very easily become promotion of one's self. It is not charity if I benefit from it personally. I expect nothing from the recipient other than a pledge to pay it forward and rely on their word that they will follow through. I suspect most don't follow through with their pledge but, that is on them. I never know to whose life might be changed by the small things I do. I can only hope that there is some change because of it. You never know, I may one day be the person in need.
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