As the hockey season winds down in Rhode Island, I've had the great opportunity to be able to catch a few of my clients' games here and there over the (never-ending) winter. The best game I got to see was Game 2 of the Division I State Championship between Hendricken and LaSalle last Saturday evening. I sat with the Father of one of the kids I train and got more into the game than I thought I would. I love to see my clients succeed, but I was right there on the edge of my seat with the teen's father.
It was do or die for Hendricken, which is the team I so desperately wanted to see succeed for my friend/client. It was a huge game, as they needed to win to push it to the final game in a best of 3 series. The game went into Overtime, and every time number 7 stepped onto the ice, I felt the excitement and energy from his dad, who was sitting right next to me. And when he assisted on the Game Winning Goal in overtime, both of us erupted, and I felt the joy emulate throughout our entire section for the comeback win this desperate team had just fought to accomplish.
You see, this boy's father knows how hard his son has worked on the ice with his team, off the ice with me, and all those times shooting the puck around with his younger brother and his dad in the driveway. In that moment my exact thoughts were "This is why I do my job. This is why I love what I do." You see the effort put out in by these athletes in all of those different scenarios, but to see it come to life in a moment like that is just indescribable.
Working with these kids in my Hockey Program is not just a great experience for them, but for me as well. I get to know these kids on a personal level and they get to know me. We talk about life, their futures, their goals, and then we get to work. Ask any one of these athletes why they have so much success in my programs, and the answer is simple: They want to work hard for me while they're here! Nobody is forcing them (in most cases) to show up and work with me. These athletes know I care, they know I want them to succeed as badly as they want to, so they trust in my processes and programs. The majority of the time it gets them to where they want to be and we have fun doing it. If you want to know a little more about this program, check out this quick informational link here:
The Way HPI's Hockey Performance Program
Those moments inspire me to be a better trainer for my clients. I'm only a small part of the help they get along the way to get to those moments. They have Hockey Coaches, Skills Trainers, practice at home by themselves, and most importantly, have full support from their families. I give them the tools they need to succeed, but it's the athletes who put in all the real work, and the parents who put in the time to get them to practice and games. But the better I can be at working with my athletes and getting them into peak physical condition, the easier it becomes for them to outperform their competition. Seeing their success due to my help drives me to want to continue to help in the best ways that I know how. Here's to more success stories and indescribable moments like number 7's on Saturday night. They might've lost the series on Monday evening, but nobody can take away that feeling of elation from Saturday. That's something you carry with you for the rest of your life.
Cheers,
Eric Fish, B.S., CSCS
Strength Coach at The Way HPI
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Should You Run Before Or After A Weight Training Workout?
I get asked a lot of questions throughout the day by my clients, but as we get closer to Spring and people tend to want to go for a nice run out in the sun to kick those Winter blues (I know, hard to believe when it's 20 degrees today), one of the most common questions people ask, is whether they should run before or after they come to the gym for a weight training workout. My answer is always the same, no matter who the client is, and I answer with a simple question: Which is more important to you?
If your main goal is to build muscle, get stronger, and become more athletic, then the answer is obvious. Lift first, run later. What many people don't understand is that when they go for these long runs in order to lose weight, while simultaneously trying to build muscle mass in a strength training program, it's that most people don't have the right diet to sustain both goals at once. I'm no dietitian or nutritionist, so I can't really give you an exact science of how to perfect that aspect of your training, but what I can tell you is distance running typically kills the goal of building muscle mass due to a caloric deficit and not enough proper nutrient intake. If you're training to be more athletic, your better bet is to do sprint intervals after your actual weight training workouts. Short bursts of maximum effort, which is working those fast twitch muscles that you're trying to build for athleticism (power, speed, agility), is the name of the game for you guys and gals.
The other deterrent to running before lifting if the main goal is strength and athleticism, is that running seriously taxes your neuromuscular system. Without getting too scientific, this system effects how much force you can produce, how precise your movement patterns are (think about how many people are less effective in shooting/passing a basketball, puck, soccer ball, etc at the end of a game when they're fatigued), and biochemical changes that affect our energy levels.
Essentially, taxing your neuromuscular system before going to lift heavy weights can lead to you not being able to lift as much (less force production), bad form that can lead to injuries (movement patterns), or feeling generally groggy/less motivated during your workout (energy levels). These are just three examples of many that I could talk about.
To all of my Life Performance, Tactical, and Sports Performance clients; how much harder is our Single Leg Balance series when you're tired after a long day and find it hard to focus? That's another easy example of the effects fatigue has on the neuromuscular system.
The exception to this rule is if you're running at a slow pace as a warmup. A 1-2 mile run at a slow pace to get the blood flowing won't have too much of an effect on what you'll be doing in the weight room. Just make sure if you're running as a warmup, do it to get the sweat flowing, not to feel like you just finished running a sprint or a marathon.
Now, if your goal is a marathon or some sort of race, then obviously running is the more important tool for your training (in most cases), and should typically be done first. Don't get me wrong, runners should absolutely be weight training. I can't stress enough how important it is for runners to be doing some sort of weight training with a Strength & Conditioning coach for injury prevention. The amount of stress runners put on their joints over time is astounding, and most don't know that they have poor movement patterns to begin with, so the constant stress on poorly moving parts can create a lot of problems. It's important to work with a Strength & Conditioning professional to help find the root of these problems and work to fix them, instead of just masking them with icy hot and overstretching your muscles for momentary pain relief.
But I digress.
To sum this all up, if the goal is athleticism and strength, run sprint intervals after your workouts or on your off days. You'll get the same cardiovascular benefit if you do enough volume and work hard, while still being able to build adequate strength and power. If the goal is more endurance related, and you're using strength training as a means to build up your general strength/help with injury prevention, get your run in first and then move on to the strength training later. Essentially, whatever the main priority is, start with that! Happy Training. Cheers.
Eric Fish
B.S., CSCS
Strength Coach at The Way Human Performance Institute
If your main goal is to build muscle, get stronger, and become more athletic, then the answer is obvious. Lift first, run later. What many people don't understand is that when they go for these long runs in order to lose weight, while simultaneously trying to build muscle mass in a strength training program, it's that most people don't have the right diet to sustain both goals at once. I'm no dietitian or nutritionist, so I can't really give you an exact science of how to perfect that aspect of your training, but what I can tell you is distance running typically kills the goal of building muscle mass due to a caloric deficit and not enough proper nutrient intake. If you're training to be more athletic, your better bet is to do sprint intervals after your actual weight training workouts. Short bursts of maximum effort, which is working those fast twitch muscles that you're trying to build for athleticism (power, speed, agility), is the name of the game for you guys and gals.
The other deterrent to running before lifting if the main goal is strength and athleticism, is that running seriously taxes your neuromuscular system. Without getting too scientific, this system effects how much force you can produce, how precise your movement patterns are (think about how many people are less effective in shooting/passing a basketball, puck, soccer ball, etc at the end of a game when they're fatigued), and biochemical changes that affect our energy levels.
Essentially, taxing your neuromuscular system before going to lift heavy weights can lead to you not being able to lift as much (less force production), bad form that can lead to injuries (movement patterns), or feeling generally groggy/less motivated during your workout (energy levels). These are just three examples of many that I could talk about.
To all of my Life Performance, Tactical, and Sports Performance clients; how much harder is our Single Leg Balance series when you're tired after a long day and find it hard to focus? That's another easy example of the effects fatigue has on the neuromuscular system.
The exception to this rule is if you're running at a slow pace as a warmup. A 1-2 mile run at a slow pace to get the blood flowing won't have too much of an effect on what you'll be doing in the weight room. Just make sure if you're running as a warmup, do it to get the sweat flowing, not to feel like you just finished running a sprint or a marathon.
Now, if your goal is a marathon or some sort of race, then obviously running is the more important tool for your training (in most cases), and should typically be done first. Don't get me wrong, runners should absolutely be weight training. I can't stress enough how important it is for runners to be doing some sort of weight training with a Strength & Conditioning coach for injury prevention. The amount of stress runners put on their joints over time is astounding, and most don't know that they have poor movement patterns to begin with, so the constant stress on poorly moving parts can create a lot of problems. It's important to work with a Strength & Conditioning professional to help find the root of these problems and work to fix them, instead of just masking them with icy hot and overstretching your muscles for momentary pain relief.
But I digress.
To sum this all up, if the goal is athleticism and strength, run sprint intervals after your workouts or on your off days. You'll get the same cardiovascular benefit if you do enough volume and work hard, while still being able to build adequate strength and power. If the goal is more endurance related, and you're using strength training as a means to build up your general strength/help with injury prevention, get your run in first and then move on to the strength training later. Essentially, whatever the main priority is, start with that! Happy Training. Cheers.
Eric Fish
B.S., CSCS
Strength Coach at The Way Human Performance Institute
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
How to Distinguish Between Good and Bad Trainers
The fitness industry is interesting for so many different reasons. It's a cornucopia of different personalities, training styles/methods, and ideas of what a good workout should be. Let me be clear in saying I do not believe that there is a be all, end all style of training. That would be like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. If you love going to spin class, then that's the best style of training for you. If you enjoy lifting weights, then by all means go and lift something heavy (with good form, please). But the thing that I take issue with in this industry (aside from Instagram fitness "Models," Weekend Warrior Trainers whose actual job is being an Accountant, and other such annoying trends these days), is the idea that a person should be sore after EVERY SINGLE WORKOUT.
That's about as far from the truth as it gets. Should you be sore from your workouts from time to time? Absolutely. Should your trainer be pushing you to your limits during every single one of your workouts? Absolutely not. Recovery is one of the most important components of constant improvement. If your trainer pushes you to the point where you can't move for three days afterwards, guess what? You just lost out on 3 days where you could've been either in active recovery, getting in other workouts, or essentially doing anything other than wince anytime you stand up from a chair or raise your arms higher than your waist.
And to go further with that, when I see people who come back from a new workout for the first time ever and actually brag about how sore they are for days afterwards, it makes me cringe at what the general public actually thinks about what it means to be productive in their workouts. When I have new clients, the first thing I do is assess where they're at. Have they worked out before? How recent? What modes of training are they used to? Then I run them through a workout that is by no means going to kill them (unless they are very advanced and can handle a more difficult workout), and see how their body reacts. I don't tell them to come back in 24 hours. I tell them to see how their body feels and we move forward from there. Essentially the first week of training with a new client is seeing what they can and can't handle. Whether it's due to movement pattern issues that need to be fixed, the fact that they are detrained, or if they don't have the mental strength to push themselves farther than a certain point. Assess, evaluate, and re-assess.
Don't be tricked into thinking you're not being productive because you weren't sore. Don't be tricked into the mentality of "no pain no gain." There's a reason most of the Physical Therapists I know have their offices within shouting distance of a CrossFit facility. Not that all CrossFit trainers are bad, just like not all Gold's Gym trainers are bad, but if we're being honest here, how many good ones have you seen? Could you recognize a truly knowledgable one? If so, can they use that knowledge in a practical sense?
It's tough for not only the general public, but even a lot of fitness enthusiasts to differentiate between a good training program and a bad one, as well as a good trainer and a bad one. Here's a quick checklist of what to look for:
1) Did they evaluate you via some form of Medical/Injury History or Movement Screening Check List?
2) Do you enjoy the mode of training you're doing? If not, switch it up!
3) Are you debilitatingly sore after every workout? If so, find a new trainer or workout program! Those days you can't move off the couch are wasted due to an overzealous workout program.
4) Do you get pain during or after working out? Note that there is a difference between soreness and pain. Soreness is okay, but when there's actual pain, you know something is not right with your body. If you have any sort of pain, ask your trainer what might have caused it and see if he/she can figure out the root of the problem. If it persists, head to a doctor to get evaluated. If you weren't in pain before your new workout regiment, and you're in pain now - well, let's just put 2 and 2 together there. Pain is not a good result of working out.
In summary, I'm not saying to find a trainer who won't push you to your limits, but they shouldn't push you there during every single workout. Find somebody who will learn to know your body just as good, if not better, than you know it. They should know your deficiencies and be attempting to correct them. They should know how to fix your bad movement patterns should you have any (most people don't realize they have them). And most importantly, they should be catering to your own personal goals in the best way they know how, not modifying your goals to fit their training style. It's a lot to look for, but you have to live in your body every day, so you may as well treat it the way it deserves to be treated. Cheers.
Eric Fish
B.S., CSCS
Strength Coach at The Way Human Performance Institute
That's about as far from the truth as it gets. Should you be sore from your workouts from time to time? Absolutely. Should your trainer be pushing you to your limits during every single one of your workouts? Absolutely not. Recovery is one of the most important components of constant improvement. If your trainer pushes you to the point where you can't move for three days afterwards, guess what? You just lost out on 3 days where you could've been either in active recovery, getting in other workouts, or essentially doing anything other than wince anytime you stand up from a chair or raise your arms higher than your waist.
And to go further with that, when I see people who come back from a new workout for the first time ever and actually brag about how sore they are for days afterwards, it makes me cringe at what the general public actually thinks about what it means to be productive in their workouts. When I have new clients, the first thing I do is assess where they're at. Have they worked out before? How recent? What modes of training are they used to? Then I run them through a workout that is by no means going to kill them (unless they are very advanced and can handle a more difficult workout), and see how their body reacts. I don't tell them to come back in 24 hours. I tell them to see how their body feels and we move forward from there. Essentially the first week of training with a new client is seeing what they can and can't handle. Whether it's due to movement pattern issues that need to be fixed, the fact that they are detrained, or if they don't have the mental strength to push themselves farther than a certain point. Assess, evaluate, and re-assess.
Don't be tricked into thinking you're not being productive because you weren't sore. Don't be tricked into the mentality of "no pain no gain." There's a reason most of the Physical Therapists I know have their offices within shouting distance of a CrossFit facility. Not that all CrossFit trainers are bad, just like not all Gold's Gym trainers are bad, but if we're being honest here, how many good ones have you seen? Could you recognize a truly knowledgable one? If so, can they use that knowledge in a practical sense?
It's tough for not only the general public, but even a lot of fitness enthusiasts to differentiate between a good training program and a bad one, as well as a good trainer and a bad one. Here's a quick checklist of what to look for:
1) Did they evaluate you via some form of Medical/Injury History or Movement Screening Check List?
2) Do you enjoy the mode of training you're doing? If not, switch it up!
3) Are you debilitatingly sore after every workout? If so, find a new trainer or workout program! Those days you can't move off the couch are wasted due to an overzealous workout program.
4) Do you get pain during or after working out? Note that there is a difference between soreness and pain. Soreness is okay, but when there's actual pain, you know something is not right with your body. If you have any sort of pain, ask your trainer what might have caused it and see if he/she can figure out the root of the problem. If it persists, head to a doctor to get evaluated. If you weren't in pain before your new workout regiment, and you're in pain now - well, let's just put 2 and 2 together there. Pain is not a good result of working out.
In summary, I'm not saying to find a trainer who won't push you to your limits, but they shouldn't push you there during every single workout. Find somebody who will learn to know your body just as good, if not better, than you know it. They should know your deficiencies and be attempting to correct them. They should know how to fix your bad movement patterns should you have any (most people don't realize they have them). And most importantly, they should be catering to your own personal goals in the best way they know how, not modifying your goals to fit their training style. It's a lot to look for, but you have to live in your body every day, so you may as well treat it the way it deserves to be treated. Cheers.
Eric Fish
B.S., CSCS
Strength Coach at The Way Human Performance Institute
Friday, June 13, 2014
The Learning Curve
In working with many walks of life over the last two years of working here at The Way HPI, I've learned a lot. One thing that is up there on the list of importance, second only to your knowledge of the field and how you apply that knowledge to training your clients, is the relationships you build with clients. The one reason I've been so successful in this business so quickly, is that I am able to connect with just about anyone. From 70 year old retirees, to youth sport athletes, and everywhere in between. Rule #1 when it comes to client relationships is this: People want to know how much you care, before they care about how much you know.
It's through these relationships that you are able to retain what we call "clients," but realistically what these people become are a second family. You see many of these people at least twice a week, if not more. You learn about their lives, they learn about yours. These connections are what helps motivate me to continue to do my job, and do it well. You take on the lives of some of these clients in the hour or so you have with them. You feel for what they're trying to accomplish, and it becomes your goal in that hour, to help that person reach theirs.
BUT there's so much more to it than that. You have to be able to read people. How are they responding to the type of training I'm giving them? Do I need to switch up training modes and experiment? Does this person need a "You're doing great!" a "You can do it!" or a swift kick in the ass. All of those have vastly different effects on a person's psyche depending on their personality type. Building this positive rapport is crucial to success in the fitness industry, but it's also crucial to your client's success as well. They have to trust in what you're doing and the process you have in order to commit long enough to see results.
So, at the base of the job of a Strength & Conditioning coach or a Personal Trainer, you have to be able to make these personal connections with people. Do they also care how much you know and how you can apply your vast knowledge? Of course. Remember, you're the expert. But always remember that if you rub someone the wrong way, push too hard/too little, or have the occasional "mismatching" personalities, your client retention numbers won't be good. Just like everything else in life, it's all about how well you can balance all of these different elements. There will be failures, but turn them into lessons and never make the same mistake twice. Work hard, and success will find you.
Eric Fish, BS, CSCS
Strength & Conditioning Coach
The Way HPI
Email: EFISH@THEWAYHPI.COM
Twitter: Efish_TheWayHPI
401-467-6701
It's through these relationships that you are able to retain what we call "clients," but realistically what these people become are a second family. You see many of these people at least twice a week, if not more. You learn about their lives, they learn about yours. These connections are what helps motivate me to continue to do my job, and do it well. You take on the lives of some of these clients in the hour or so you have with them. You feel for what they're trying to accomplish, and it becomes your goal in that hour, to help that person reach theirs.
BUT there's so much more to it than that. You have to be able to read people. How are they responding to the type of training I'm giving them? Do I need to switch up training modes and experiment? Does this person need a "You're doing great!" a "You can do it!" or a swift kick in the ass. All of those have vastly different effects on a person's psyche depending on their personality type. Building this positive rapport is crucial to success in the fitness industry, but it's also crucial to your client's success as well. They have to trust in what you're doing and the process you have in order to commit long enough to see results.
So, at the base of the job of a Strength & Conditioning coach or a Personal Trainer, you have to be able to make these personal connections with people. Do they also care how much you know and how you can apply your vast knowledge? Of course. Remember, you're the expert. But always remember that if you rub someone the wrong way, push too hard/too little, or have the occasional "mismatching" personalities, your client retention numbers won't be good. Just like everything else in life, it's all about how well you can balance all of these different elements. There will be failures, but turn them into lessons and never make the same mistake twice. Work hard, and success will find you.
Eric Fish, BS, CSCS
Strength & Conditioning Coach
The Way HPI
Email: EFISH@THEWAYHPI.COM
Twitter: Efish_TheWayHPI
401-467-6701
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Reach Your Greatest Heights
"You can’t live off potential for the rest of your life."
I came across this quote on twitter, but, unfortunately, there was no source. As soon as I saw this quote I fell in love with it. So many people thrive on what others have said to them regarding their ability level, their intellect, or who they are as a person. Alas, instead of working on improving themselves even more they seem to hit a plateau on many levels. This is because once a lot of people reach the point where compliments are being thrown at them left and right, they feel they don’t have to work hard anymore. People get complacent far too easily, lose the mental and physical edge they may have once had, and from there it's a long fall from the top of their high horse.
Take for example the so-called “sophomore slump” in sports. A rookie phenom will come into a league and work their ass off right out of the gate and try to prove themselves. They'll put in the hard work day in and day out that is necessary to establish themselves as a great player with a tremendous work ethic. All of the focus is on how much potential this athlete has to be “one of the greats” and how much he/she has shown it in their first year. Then this particular athlete gets into a position where they've already had success, knows that they're in a position to succeed, and then slacks off the next offseason in the weight room and on the field. So, while many others were working to get better and improve, this particular athlete has been in quicksand due to their ego and can’t seem to get out.
It happens all the time in sports. Top draft picks in the NFL never make the pro bowl, but undrafted guys become big impact players and win games because they will always have something to prove. Success is a direct correlation with hard work.
This quote doesn’t just have to apply in sports either. You can apply it to student life, your job, or quite possibly the most relatable application to many people, which is in relationships. People always work so hard to impress that special guy or girl, but once they have that person, the effort doesn’t continue at such a consistent basis. Maybe the effort doesn’t even continue at all. New relationships are full of flowers, passion, and “I love you.” As the relationships mature, you either continue to put in the same effort to maintain the fire and passion, or you slow it down or stop completely. It’s the people who continue to work hard for each other that end up staying together.
Now apply that to fitness, dieting, or sports again. If you keep working hard and maintain that focus, your possibilities are endless in what you can do with your life. It’s the Tom Bradys and Peyton Mannings of the world who work their asses off every day in preparation who are some of the greatest of all time. It’s Jon Jones and GSP in UFC, it’s the Dustin Pedroias in baseball, and it’s the new YOU if you can channel your energy into the right things in your life.
Forget about even athletes for a second. How about the cancer patients who have to fight every day for their lives. How about the war veterans. How about the single parents who have to not only make their children's lives amazing, but need to do something for themselves every once in awhile. Make that connection in your brain, whatever your situation, and then when your focus is there, make sure that everything you do, you do it with a burning passion that nothing else can rival. Fight for your happiness. Fight for your success.
Every single person in this world has amazing potential within them, but so few use it. The truly successful people in life take that potential, harness it, and work hard to reach it’s peak. Truth be told, I don’t believe anybody has actually ever reached their true peak potential. There is ALWAYS room to improve. You can’t strive for perfection, but everybody should always be striving to improve in some aspect of their life. I’d even go so far as to say we should always strive to improve ALL aspects of our life. Always try to be one day better than you were yesterday.
The biggest problem is people either think they’ve reached their peak and put their efforts on cruise control, or they get discouraged when they fail a few times and end up quitting because they think what they’re attempting is impossible. Realize what you could be, and it’s what you will become.
“If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.” - Thomas Edison
Friday, November 8, 2013
Live Inspired
I’ve grown a lot as a person over the last two or three years. One of my biggest triumphs has been in finding that despite what you may believe, you have a bigger impact on other people’s lives than you can ever imagine. You see, as a strength coach and a motivator I often wonder; am I really making a difference? Are these people truly getting as much out of me as I'm trying to give? I talk to a ton of people over the course of a day, and I try to be the most positive person that these people will converse with throughout the day. I try to be the most uplifting spirit that they drift into. The problem is that there is no "instant gratification" in this business, from my perspective as a trainer, or theirs as a client with long term goals. Due to the longevity of it all and the broad scope of all the things that I'm trying to do for my clients, there are a lot of times where I feel that maybe I’m not as much of an inspiration or as much as a life changer as a aspire to be.
Then one day the gratification started to come. It started with one person, the over the course of a few weeks, and a few months, I was beginning to have clients tell me how much I’ve changed their lives. They’d say I changed their way of thinking, I’d made their lives more positive, and in turn they had become more happy than they’d been in a long time. There is one client in particular who actually cried the first time she was able to do a full sit-up. This was middle aged woman who would do anything for her children, who works 3 jobs so that those kids could get through college without any debt, and a woman who is a true inspiration to myself. This person was changed in that moment. For somebody who is always working so hard for others and to provide for her family, was also finally working equally as hard on herself. She suddenly felt the motivation to be able to better herself, and not just focus on helping others with 100% of her time. Seeing the emotion pour out of her in that moment, and to feel the hard work literally pouring out of her, it warmed my heart. This woman is the type of person who we should be putting on the cover of a magazine, not Miley Cyrus.
You see, these are the stories I live for. These are the stories we all should live for. And over my short time in this profession, I’ve heard many similar stories. From a man who lost weight and overcame his depression, to an alcoholic who stopped drinking and found her old self along the way. This what life is all about, overcoming our daily struggles and turning negatives into positives. I’m not saying I.m the reason for turning these peoples lives around, but knowing that I played a role in that change is HUGE. Knowing that giving someone a little extra push, holding a smile for a few extra seconds so that the person knows it’s genuine, or even giving a simple high five after a grueling workout, can help direct people towards a healthier and happier path in their lives, means the world to me. My clients inspire me as much as I try to inspire them. It’s a constant give and take of positivity. Live inspired, and you will know how it feels to truly live, and to not just be alive.
Then one day the gratification started to come. It started with one person, the over the course of a few weeks, and a few months, I was beginning to have clients tell me how much I’ve changed their lives. They’d say I changed their way of thinking, I’d made their lives more positive, and in turn they had become more happy than they’d been in a long time. There is one client in particular who actually cried the first time she was able to do a full sit-up. This was middle aged woman who would do anything for her children, who works 3 jobs so that those kids could get through college without any debt, and a woman who is a true inspiration to myself. This person was changed in that moment. For somebody who is always working so hard for others and to provide for her family, was also finally working equally as hard on herself. She suddenly felt the motivation to be able to better herself, and not just focus on helping others with 100% of her time. Seeing the emotion pour out of her in that moment, and to feel the hard work literally pouring out of her, it warmed my heart. This woman is the type of person who we should be putting on the cover of a magazine, not Miley Cyrus.
You see, these are the stories I live for. These are the stories we all should live for. And over my short time in this profession, I’ve heard many similar stories. From a man who lost weight and overcame his depression, to an alcoholic who stopped drinking and found her old self along the way. This what life is all about, overcoming our daily struggles and turning negatives into positives. I’m not saying I.m the reason for turning these peoples lives around, but knowing that I played a role in that change is HUGE. Knowing that giving someone a little extra push, holding a smile for a few extra seconds so that the person knows it’s genuine, or even giving a simple high five after a grueling workout, can help direct people towards a healthier and happier path in their lives, means the world to me. My clients inspire me as much as I try to inspire them. It’s a constant give and take of positivity. Live inspired, and you will know how it feels to truly live, and to not just be alive.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
The Human Element
Being yourself is both the easiest thing in the world, and the hardest thing in the world, at the same time. I think most people are in a constant battle with themselves, myself included, about three major questions: What do I want out of life?; What direction do I want to take my life in order to be both successful and happy?; Who is the person that I want to become?
I know the answer to some of these questions right now, but ask me again in a couple of weeks or months and you may get completely different answers. It’s human nature for these types of things to be constantly changing, or even rotating in order of priority. For some, true answers to these questions may never come. To others, these answers just come naturally. Then there’s those of us who have to work for these answers. Maybe we experiment with a bunch of new things and meet a bunch of new people. That’s what college is about. It’s not just about education, it’s also about trying new things and learning through experience what is and is not right for you.
For me, the answer to question number 1, is question number 2. What do I want out of life? Easy. To be successful and happy. But therein lies the problem. I don’t exactly know the answer to question number 2 just yet. But I’m not worried about it. I’m 22 years old. That’s it. Put this into perspective. 10 years ago I was riding my bike places and my curfew was dinner time. Now? I have a steady job which will soon turn into my true career as soon as I graduate. 10 years ago we were all completely different people. 10 years ago there were different people in our lives, maybe we lived in a different location, and maybe we've changed for better or worse. But, you know what? We're here now, and what you do with that time in order to make the most out of YOUR life, is entirely up to YOU. You're in the driver's seat, don't let somebody else take the wheel and dictate the direction you want to go in. Find one that makes you happy, and when you decide that you're no longer happy and want to veer off and pave a new path for yourself, I implore you to do so. As Bob Dylan once said, "What's money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do."
As for who I want to become as a person? Well, I want to be me. I like who I am right now. I’m driven and goal oriented. I have a mostly care free mentality. I’m goofy. I’m a harry potter nerd. I love sports. I love my family. Yes, we all want something more, including me. If I could have Ryan Gosling’s looks, Usher's voice, and a billion dollars, that'd be fantastic, but you’ve gotta work with what you got. And what I have right now I’m pretty damn happy with. So don’t worry about your greatest fears at this any age, because the best things in life are worth waiting for. You won’t be alone forever. You may not have that 2 story house, white picket fence, and 2.5 kids, but what you will have in your life you’ll be happy with, I promise you that. It’ll be yours, and nobody could possibly take away who you are, and what you’ve accomplished. If you want to be successful and happy, just work really hard at it. Easier said than done, right? Work hard at what? Well that’s something only you will ever know and be able to solve. If you like where you are in life, keep doing what you’re doing until that feeling changes. If you’re not happy with your life at the moment, then change it. It’s a simple equation, but in life you can’t just plug numbers into a calculator. You’ve gotta work hard for the answer, but eventually it'll come, and you'll be happy you waited so long for the right one.
I know the answer to some of these questions right now, but ask me again in a couple of weeks or months and you may get completely different answers. It’s human nature for these types of things to be constantly changing, or even rotating in order of priority. For some, true answers to these questions may never come. To others, these answers just come naturally. Then there’s those of us who have to work for these answers. Maybe we experiment with a bunch of new things and meet a bunch of new people. That’s what college is about. It’s not just about education, it’s also about trying new things and learning through experience what is and is not right for you.
For me, the answer to question number 1, is question number 2. What do I want out of life? Easy. To be successful and happy. But therein lies the problem. I don’t exactly know the answer to question number 2 just yet. But I’m not worried about it. I’m 22 years old. That’s it. Put this into perspective. 10 years ago I was riding my bike places and my curfew was dinner time. Now? I have a steady job which will soon turn into my true career as soon as I graduate. 10 years ago we were all completely different people. 10 years ago there were different people in our lives, maybe we lived in a different location, and maybe we've changed for better or worse. But, you know what? We're here now, and what you do with that time in order to make the most out of YOUR life, is entirely up to YOU. You're in the driver's seat, don't let somebody else take the wheel and dictate the direction you want to go in. Find one that makes you happy, and when you decide that you're no longer happy and want to veer off and pave a new path for yourself, I implore you to do so. As Bob Dylan once said, "What's money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do."
As for who I want to become as a person? Well, I want to be me. I like who I am right now. I’m driven and goal oriented. I have a mostly care free mentality. I’m goofy. I’m a harry potter nerd. I love sports. I love my family. Yes, we all want something more, including me. If I could have Ryan Gosling’s looks, Usher's voice, and a billion dollars, that'd be fantastic, but you’ve gotta work with what you got. And what I have right now I’m pretty damn happy with. So don’t worry about your greatest fears at this any age, because the best things in life are worth waiting for. You won’t be alone forever. You may not have that 2 story house, white picket fence, and 2.5 kids, but what you will have in your life you’ll be happy with, I promise you that. It’ll be yours, and nobody could possibly take away who you are, and what you’ve accomplished. If you want to be successful and happy, just work really hard at it. Easier said than done, right? Work hard at what? Well that’s something only you will ever know and be able to solve. If you like where you are in life, keep doing what you’re doing until that feeling changes. If you’re not happy with your life at the moment, then change it. It’s a simple equation, but in life you can’t just plug numbers into a calculator. You’ve gotta work hard for the answer, but eventually it'll come, and you'll be happy you waited so long for the right one.
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