Defining Questions

Why am I a trainer? How will I earn today? What can I do to exceed other's expectations of me? Over the past few days, I have begun to realize how important these questions are for me to answer and live out every day. But why?

Since leaving 24 Hour Fitness and stepping up to the next level in my career, purpose and meaning behind what I do and say has become clearer by the day. Coming out from under the "corporate" umbrella is freeing, but with that freedom comes more responsibility to represent the values and ethics that got me to this place in the first place. Somewhere down the line I forgot the answers to these questions and how they had molded me into the level of trainer that I was. Recently, thanks to some new and great influences in my life, I was reminded about their importance and how a few small changes in attitudes could not only put me back to that level, but take me above and beyond.

The answers to the questions aren't always going to be the same but the methods and answers may be similar and I will share the most common answers.

Why am I a Trainer?
It is a passion of mine to help people establish healthier and active lifestyles. After losing all my weight and experiencing the 180 degree turn around myself, I find it natural to want to share my blessing with others.

How will I earn today?
It may sound corny but everyday is a gift that should be earned. With that in mind, I will try to enjoy the day and find at least one positive takeaway.

What can I do to exceed other's expectations of me?
When I just meet others expectations, I always feel as if there were more things that I could do. To exceed expectations, I will keep my focus on the clients. I will be there for my friends and family. I will take that extra second to make sure things are put up at work or that my workplace is clean and orderly for the next person.

As I said, these questions will be answered differently day to day but the main focus will be along the lines of what was stated above. I am glad that I have been able to be reminded of the importance of these questions and how living out the answers to these questions can make for some simple yet profound changes in not only mine but other peoples lives.

Now I ask you, What are the questions that define you?

Forecast calls for rain

"When it rains, it pours."

Today is one of those days that seems to resonate with that quote. I woke up feeling like I had a 25lb plate on my chest. After fighting off this sickness for over a week now, it finally got the best of me some time last night. With this illness going around the way it has, I have decided that I would take the next 2 days off to get better and hope that I could get it beat sooner than let it knock me down for a week or so.

As well, about an hour after I called my boss to tell him I was sick, I had to call him back to tell him that I will miss more days this week due to the loss of my Uncle Tommy. He had been losing his health over the past few months but it is still a shock. I had not been as close to him as I used to but I still feel a new emptiness in my life. I feel at a loss as to what to say to my mom, who has just lost her brother.

As I lay here on the couch and think about the day so far, I just wonder what else is in store. I hope for a smooth week. I pray that my family and especially my mom will find comfort through these times. I also hope that I will be able to bring her comfort in whatever way possible.

Finding a Groove

Well, I have been working at my new job for just over 3 weeks and all things considered, I love it. I love the clients, the atmosphere and the people that I work with and I can truthfully say that the risk I took coming over from 24 was well worth it. Yet there is still that uneasy feeling, but why and what it is, I can not explain. There are times when I will be doing stuff and I feel like everybody is questioning it is what I do. There are other times when I feel like although accepted, I am not fitting in. Whatever it is, I am trying to figure it out.

If it is that I am, in fact, not fitting in then I hope that I will be able to figure out a way to make it work out. If it is anything else then, again, I hope that I will be able to work it out. I am sure that is nothing at all but to me it is an issue that I need to take care of because of how much I value this new position and the future it holds for me.

In fact as I think about it and type it out here I am sure it is the same feelings anybody would feel when leaving a job that was 'comfortable' to pursue a more rewarding/challenging job. I think it is the uncomfortable feelings that one gets when trying to find a new groove in a new environment. On top of it, with the amount of hours that I put in, I have lost my connection with people that I would normally be able to vent these feelings to,or at least feel that I have lost the connections. As well, just as I had those people at my old job that I could talk with and share stuff with, I have yet to find who I could trust and open up with at the new place.

I also hope to ease some of these feelings by sitting down with one of the owners tomorrow and laying out some goals to shoot for, as it is something that is important when trying to reach new heights. So hopefully tomorrow will be a better day and each day thereafter will get a little better, but until then, thanks for reading my whining and heres to finding the proverbial groove.

What a Year

Ahhhhh What a Year so far...

Well it has been quite a while since my last blog, so here goes nothing.

First off, I am still sticking to my resolution and I must say it has been a very liberating and enjoyable experience. it sucks that it has to be that way, however, it is just as unfair to the friends that do give back in the friendship to have to put up with the lost energy that those people took. Enough said about that.

Well, most know but a few don't, but in the beginning of this year I was recruited to leave 24 and take a step up and train a few miles away at a personal training studio. It was a tough decision to leave the safety and familiarity of the job I was at, but the new one held so much promise that I couldn't find a reason not to go. That being said, I am so so so glad that i did because I absolutely love it, and the people I work with. Even though the adjustment period is a little tougher than I anticipated, it is still manageable.

Now to the meaty stuff.

Lately, for unknown reasons, I have been feeling very alone. I am sure that a lot can be due to the recent change in job, the increase in my training and etc. but none the less the feeling is still there. I know that once I get to really know some of the people that I work with and vice versa that I may find someone to vent to as I had at 24 but even then I can't place this feeling. A few things have happened that may have helped shed light on the feeling and it may very well be another 'growing point' for me. I first realized my feeling while on a trip to Cape over the past weekend. After taking care of a friend who needed care taking I got to experience a blessing in disguise. I got to experience a man that has been down the road I am on and am a wiser man thanks to him. The story is, I helped a friend get comfortable on the party bus to sleep off a good night of partying while the rest of our group stayed inside to watch the rest of the fights. After laying them down, I did what seemed only natural and chatted it up with the bus driver. Most of the conversation revolved around the fights, drunk idiots and those things, but one thing hit home for me. Out of nowhere, he asked me how well if I knew my friend and if she and I were dating, trying to figure out why I brought her out. After filling him in that, in fact, I had only known her for about a week, he came straight out and asked then why did I, and not someone who knew her better, bring her out. My answer, It's just what I do, I care for my friends; to which he replied that it was a very honorable selfless act and that if I kept it up, that I would get mine, then he looked me in the eyes and said "just not here". We chatted lightly after that but it honestly never sat in until tonight what he meant by that. I realized tonight that the good deeds people do almost always go unnoticed and while this revelation won't change much I hope it may bring one little change. The idea of how much a sincere "thank you" can mean to someone.

I will end this blog now, as it is getting pretty lengthy, but one final thought which has been swirling in my head now for a few hours.

I think God gave us two ears to remind us that while it is great to lend a friendly ear to someone else, sometimes we just need one for ourselves."