Keep Chopping

It's no secret that I'm a huge Georgia Bulldogs fan. It's my undergrad and there are very few things I love more than supporting University of Georgia football. In fact, both of my dogs' names have something to do with Georgia football.

Yes, Dooley's jersey is signed. By his namesake, Vince Dooley. It says "Go Dooley! Love, Vince Dooley"

There's this motto the team has this year, and I've seen it everywhere: "Keep Chopping." After I'd heard it around for a while, I started googling what it meant. It's short for "keep chopping wood." And what the players and coaches mean when they say it is this (my paraphrase):

Ignore everything else. Ignore the hype. Don't look at the rankings. Don't let the fans get you too high and don't let detractors get you too low. Don't fall prey to the temptation to compare yourself to others. Keep doing the things you know make you a better football player. Work hard. Do it right. Day in and day out. Pay attention to the little things; It translates into the big things. It may not be glamorous, but get the job done. Keep chopping wood.

I've watched over the months as the players and the fan base buy into this motto. I've seen a team who doesn't let rankings or hype go to their head. Different from what I've seen in the prior fifteen years, I've seen a team that shows up on the field week after week prepared for the job they have to do, unaffected by the circus that surrounds them. And an attitude unlike any I've ever seen in the past has translated into results also unlike anything I've seen in the past. My Bulldogs are ranked #1 in the first College Football Playoff Committee Rankings.

This concept truly resonated with me and reminded me of something I've been talking about with friends and my coach as it applies to triathlon: consistent hard work. My job as an athlete is not get caught up in the hype or how huge the goals seem now, six months away. Instead, it's to show up to my workouts, day in and day out, ready to do the work. Each day, that work translates into progress, but my focus should be on that workout and executing it to the best of my ability. Over time, the consistent hard work on the little things translates into big the results I've been dreaming of.

Or, as one my favorite Bulldogs, Lorenzo Carter, said, "When you’re chopping wood on a tree, it doesn’t fall immediately. It takes time and sometimes it seems like nothing’s happening but you just keep chopping wood and eventually that tree will fall.” 

And perhaps it's serendipitous, but at my last race, toward the end of the run, a lady was cheering for me, and I distinctly remember her saying "Keep Chopping, Rosalyn. You got this."  I had a race I'm proud of that race, but I also knew in that moment that this would be my motto for my 2018 season: "Keep Chopping." 

It's simple and it's manageable. Day after day, put in the work. Eventually that tree will fall.