Overcoming Overwhelm
By Kelli Calabrese
Just this morning, two different yoga studio owners on opposite sides of my town approached me and were almost brought to tears. Their stories were identical: Both started out with a passion for yoga and ultimately followed their dream to build a beautiful studio, employ several instructors, fill classes and change the lives of many participants.
So why the tears? Over two years into the business, both were a fragile step away from crumbling into a nervous breakdown because they were not turning a profit, were having chronic issues with employees and landlords, had a stack of unpaid bills, had broken dreams of expanding and were stressed-out slaves to their businesses. They were too broke for a consultant and were becoming physically ill from the stress. One might associate yoga with peace; however, that was not the case for these ladies.
Most trainers would nod their head in agreement that they too work hard, providing a good service to get customers results. Like the yoga ladies, most trainers are also just scraping by financially and feel like every day is like Groundhog Day.
Passion, education and certification are not enough — not in today’s competitive marketplace. You need the foundational business and time management concepts to get ahead. If you never plan to have your own business or if you dream of a fitness empire, you need to understand fundamental business skills.
To deal with overwhelm, become a time management expert. Create your ideal day, be protective of your time, learn to say no, use time productively, and realize that you are in control to have the greatest rewards for you and your business.
Two of the keys to avoiding a crisis are constantly evaluating what is working (and excites you) from what’s not and the also the ability to set priorities which includes working from a list,
Complete the most important and urgent tasks first. Continually ask yourself, “What is the most valuable use of my time right now?” Most of us do the small things first. Much stress can be immediately relieved with the devotion to following through on urgent tasks.
As you travel toward your specific goals, you may have to readjust your course to reach your desired outcomes. On your own, it will be a long, slow struggle to succeed; some might even say that you will surely fail. But if you are like many successful people and follow the success clues left by those who have gone before you, your chances of succeeding are guaranteed.
If you ever want to achieve an ideal life that includes enjoying a great lifestyle, being respected as a professional and having financial peace, seek out an experienced coach, product or service that can move you up several levels. To get unstuck, thinking or acting like a millionaire won’t help. Learn from a leader who has a proven track record of extraordinary success. Success leaves clues.
Kelli Calabrese MS, CSCS (kelli@kellicalabrese.com) is the Master Coach for Phil Kaplan’s Be Better Projects, an eight-month coaching academy raising personal fitness coaches to the highest levels of professionalism. She is the International Master Coach for Adventure Boot Camp, the original and largest fitness boot camp program in the world. For more information, visit www.KelliCalabrese.com or call Kelli at 817.490.1296.