The Balancing Act – Part I
Observe What Works to FOCUS on Success
By Kelli Calabrese
Last month, I introduced the concept of F.O.C.U.S where “F” represented your Future as fitness professional -- specifically the keys to goal setting. The next step is “O”bserving what is going on in your life. This involves asking yourself some vital questions. Most people go through life on a cruise to nowhere, like a ship being tossed by the wind and the waves. There is no clear direction and they don’t take notice as to what is working and what is not. They act more like victims, rather than captains, of their own destiny.
The Hawthorn Effect tells us that what we give attention to grows. When we give attention to our training and nutrition, it improves. When we give massive attention to growing our business, it flourishes. The more capacity you give to a goal, the more rapidly it accelerates. Regarding your fitness career, you want to take notice as to what brings you the most joy, prosperity, freedom or what ever words you personally use to define success.
Many personal trainers wake up and, like the movie, have a “ground hog” day -- the same schedule with different clients in each time slot. They train clients day after day, becoming numb to growth. They become reactive when a situation reaches a crisis state rather than being proactive to avoid damage. For example, a trainer may have a client lose her job, another client relocate, another client get injured, and yet another client decide to take a break when his sessions run out. Before long, that trainer has lost half of his client base and can’t afford his car payment. That’s a situation nobody wants to experience… and certainly not repeatedly.
When I first learned to ride a motorcycle, I remember the instructor used the acronym S.I.P.D.E. to teach us to safely maneuver a motorcycle and enjoy riding. It represents Scan, Identify, Predict, Decide and Execute. That still serves me today, not only when I ride a motorcycle, but in life. It reminds me to have heightened awareness about what is going on around me, identify any opportunity or obstacles, predict what my best response would be, quickly decide what to do and then act on it. The more you practice SIPDE, the better you become at making great decisions, the fewer mistakes you make and the closer you move towards your desired outcome.
In order to balance your life and attract great things, observe all areas of your life. Here are some questions to help you observe what needs more or less attention, or even elimination in your life:- How do you feel at the end of the day?
- If you were financially independent, what parts of your work would you do exclusively?
- What do you most enjoy learning about?
- What activities, tasks, accomplishments give you the most energy?
- What 3 things pay you the most for your time?
Part II
PFP+
I will develop this soon. Right now the first one is not posted so there is no rush.
- If you could be outstanding in any 3 areas of your work, what would the be?
- What part of your work would you like to be doing 10 – 20 years from now?
- Based on the above, what should you be doing most of the time?
- What one action are you going to take immediately?