I havealways beenenthusiastic about sports.It beganatan early age with Kong Fu,tennis,gymnastics,basketball,and soccer-I lovedthe physical and mental challenges involved in sportsand engagingwith people that sharethesame passion. 

In the last couple of years,my love of sports has transitioned in a love ofCrossFit-which is a strength and conditioning workout that is made up of functional movement performed at a high-intensity leveland isusually done in groups.While the past year's events made that difficult at times, Iwas committed to kickingit up a notch and trained up tosixtimes a week.I even signed up for my first CrossFit competition (RFA) that will take place in Israel! 

So how do sports, or an activity like CrossFit compare to my work as a Software Engineer at Cisco? You might think there are no similarities between the two -the first includes lifting, running,and sweating whilethe second is sittingin my chair with a cup of coffee and programming.  

But when I tooka deeper look, I realized my two passions are pretty similar -and I think my love of sports and CrossFit really make me a better Software Engineer too! 

1. Versatility: To be a good full stack software engineer you need to have knowledge in a variety of subjects-algorithms, data structures, databases, front end, back end, and the list goes on. This is very similar to CrossFit whereyou need more than just strength -but you also need endurance, technique, pacing, flexibility, and knowledge in many movements.Having a specialty in one area is great, but having theversatility to take on more and grow in ways you never though you could -will always take you to new levels.

2. Learn to Fail Forward: You can never be perfect in all the fields, all the time. This is why it is important to always challenge yourself and be surrounded by supportive co-workers and gym friends that know how to push you forward. We learned the most when we fail forward, and that's what makes us ready to take on future challenges.

3. Go the extra mile: It is not enough to only do the "regular" day-to-day work. For my day job, I participate in meetups and hackathons, read books and watch tutorials, and talk to other engineers so that I can expand my knowledge. For CrossFit, I attend seminars, competitions, and talk to other coaches so I can grow in my sport too. That is what I found drives me and makes me want to go out of bed each and every day -so I can learn and grow in all areas of my life.

So, what are you waiting for? Find an activity you are passionate about (both for work and outside of work) -and watch how it empowers you in all areas of your life.  

I strongly believe that these challenges have helped me to train not only my body, but also my mind to achieve success, overcome failure, listen to others, and teach others so I can accomplish both personal and career goals. 

Ready to grow with us?Apply now. 

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