At 44 I signed up for my first weightlifting competition. I told myself it was a personal challenge. What I didn’t expect was how much it would affect the people watching.
To maximise your value, you have to commit fully to the work.
That means putting in the time, showing up consistently, and accepting that value isn’t always something you can measure in numbers. Sometimes it’s defined by your progression; by how much you’ve improved, and whether the end result justifies the effort you invested.
The commitment
Over the past few months, I made that commitment. On October 28th, I decided to push myself toward something new: my first novice amateur weightlifting competition.
I’ve always been a regular at the gym, but this was different. This was about testing myself. At 44, turning 45, I wanted more than routine; I wanted an adventure.
What started as a personal challenge became something bigger.
You begin these journeys for yourself. For your own growth, your own sense of achievement. It’s inherently personal, even self-gratifying. But the unexpected outcome is the impact it has on others.
The effect on others
When people see you push beyond your comfort zone, they start to believe they can do the same. You become proof that it’s possible.
Maximising your value is self-driven, but its effects are not contained to you. It extends outward. It inspires. It gives others something to follow, something to believe in.
When I competed, I came second. But the medal isn’t what stays with me.
What matters more is the support. The messages. The encouragement. The people who took time out of their lives to watch me pursue something difficult. That’s the part that’s humbling. That’s what made it all worth it.
Something powerful happens
There is something powerful about being supported while doing something hard. It amplifies the experience. It makes the effort meaningful in a way that goes beyond personal achievement.
So yes; maximising your value starts with you. But it doesn’t end there.
It becomes something shared. You improve yourself, and in doing so, you give something to others. You show others what’s possible.
“You improve yourself, and in doing so, you give something to others.”
That, to me, is what value really looks like.
