Preparing for Betterment

Dave opened the door and barely grumbled hello. I followed him into the exercise room in his 6200 square foot home. We walked by the suit of armor he purchased for $150,000, by the indoor irrigated nursery, and through the glass encased hallway overseeing sunrise on the intercoastal waterway. I was there for our 6:30 AM session just as I had been every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning for the previous month.

What’s up Dave? You have a rough night?

Dave stood shirtless in front of the mirror. From the back he might have been mistaken for a gorilla, but under the hair . . . or fur . . . was a body victimized by two decades of alcohol, stress, cocaine, and overall abuse. Again I asked, “what’s going on Dave? You look out of it.”

“Don’t worry . . . I didn’t do anything bad. I’m just looking at myself and I’ve been doing these workouts, sweating, eating just like you told me . . . and nothing’s changing.”

After 90 days Dave was not only one of my biggest fans, he was buying a new wardrobe, he bought Nair for Men, and every new shirt displayed his biceps, triceps, and his chest. I wound up conducting weekly workshops at his penthouse office in one of the most prestigious stock brokerage firms in South Florida. The difference, not only in appearance, but in mindset between 30 and 90 days was staggering.

You’ve all had similar client experiences. Now I want you to step outside of yourself and look at your business. It might appear as if nothing’s changed over the past 30 days . . . but you’ve started something in motion . . . and a re-commitment to the exercises, to the interaction, and to the mindset adjustment are going to ensure that 60 days from now you’ll have clear glaring evidence that “Be Better “is “working!”

OK, we’re about a month into it . . . and as I promised . . . you likely feel as if you aren’t doing enough. That’s about to change. Everything we’ve done thus far has been preparation. The exercise I’m going to present to you is of vital importance. Remember we spoke about your RAS and PFC? (if you don’t quite remember what these letters represent, go back and listen to last month’s audio) Let’s get your mindset channeled into high gear. If at any time during the past 30 days your ambition dwindled, your self-belief took a nosedive, or your confidence wavered, recognize that you were and remain completely in control. The decisions you make right now will determine where you end up next month, next year, and for decades to come!

This exercise will take time. You might want to devote between 90 minutes and 2 hours to going through this. I know it's hard to find the time . . . right now . . . but what will change unless you change it? Find time. Make time. Just as you'd direct a client who said he didn't think he had time to exercise, I'll insist you block out a minimum of 90 minutes on your calendar and commit to this. This isn't homework. This is mindset adjustment. This is going to set us up for the months to come. Everything in this exercise will be used to enhance interactivity in a manner that best serves everyone involved.

Answer the following questions honestly. Don’t try to create what you believe I think you should say and don’t set out to attempt to impress anyone. There aren't any right or wrong answers. Resist the urge to call and ask how to answer a given question. Just answer it. Even if you're unsure . . . answer it. Just be brutally honest. .

We'll start out with a pretty simple one . . . enter your name

* required

Next, your email address

Write between 150 and 250 words expressing precisely what you’d like the rest of the group to know about you. Think of it this way . . . you have more than a dozen coaches, and the better they know you the better they can help. Give them a crystallized overview of who you are, what you’re proud of, and what you think is going to best give them a snapshot of your reality.

Now on to another attempt at an exercise you took a shot at already. For most of you it was challenging. You’ve now had some time to think about and refine your unique traits. Using what you’ve come up with, put into a single sentence, 12 words or less, why someone should train with you.

Much of what you share here will be shared with the group. It will set the stage for interactive coaching among Be Better members. Over the course of the last week or so, you hopefully thought about a 90 day outcome. Think of that as a step in the process, as a manner of conditioning yourself to accept that you can design a destiny and move toward it almost instantly. In a moment you'll be asked to think beyond the 90 days, but for now, in brief, just state a bit of the vision you considered as a 90-day outcome.

We'll soon immerse ourselves in strategies for streamlining the path from a goal set to the goal being achieved. Goal specificity is important. If you set a goal that says, "I'll have increased my income . . " the goal is too general and too difficult to assess as to whether or not the increase was sufficient to lead to a sense of achievement. "I'll gross $10,000 in the month of October 2009 by building my business incrementally each month and of the $10,000 I'll keep 70% as personal income" is specific.
If you say, "I'll conduct one seminar a month," that's not as measurable and specific as "in May I'll conduct a seminar on the topic of fat loss, attract 40 attendees, and walk out with 4 new clients."
I know it's scary at first to post any sort of public commitment . . . but remember I told you in the initial offering . . . you're going to be forced to stretch. Don't be afraid of commitment.
With the preliminaries of this exercise complete, you're about to set two important goals (soon to be referred to exclusively as "outcomes"). Here's the first . . .
Whether you reiterate something you’ve already stated as a goal (which is perfectly OK), or whether with additional thought you’ve completely modified your thinking, come up with one measurable and specific goal related to your career. Ideally give it a date within the next 4-6 months, or if it’s a longer term goal, set a “mile-post” goal that will evidence within the next 4-6 months that you’re on your way to the big one. It’s OK for this goal initially to be up to four sentences.

The other . . . will relate to the overlap between business and your personal life. Be really specific. This goal can be lengthy. If your goal involves “time off,” describe a day you take off.   If your goal involves being able to afford something, describe precisely how much “extra” money you’ll need and what the manifestation of the goal will look like or feel like.

After you’ve set your two goals, describe each one, to the best of your ability, in a single sentence.   Obviously the single sentence won’t have the specifics you laid out in the previous exercise, but you’ll want the single sentence to bring the image or the sense of the goal being complete to . . . . your RAS.

So, describe your first goal in a sentence.

Next describe the “overlap” goal in a sentence.

I've shared some information on using “trigger” to cement the sense of the goals being achieved into your PFC. Repetition of this exercise that will allow you to summon up motivation instantly. You should have chosen an object that you can fit in the palm of your hand. Ideally an object that you can carry with you at all times. It should be an odd object, not something ordinary. It would be stronger if it were an object you already associated something positive with. Some of the objects people have used in workshops where this powerful trigger concept was introduced included, a photo in a small frame, a ring, a bottle cap, a rabbits foot, a medallion, a piece of fabric, a button, a barbell shaped charm, a tiny eagle replica, and a small stone. What object did you choose?

If you were to choose the category that best describes you, which category would you choose (and if none of them describe you perfectly, which comes closest)?

OWNER - I own a studio and have signed my name to a lease or mortgage. I produce or die.
EMPLOYED - I am an independent trainer or employee who relies primarily on client income and I am attached to a health club or facility that I haven’t any ownership in.
INDEPENDENT NON-AFFILIATED - I am in independent trainer who generates revenue without owning a facility and my primary income comes from training clients in their homes or some other venue where I’m not subject to rent or owner restrictions.

OWNER

EMPLOYED OR CONTRACTED

INDEPENDENT NON-AFFILIATED

Again, choose a category:

ELITE - I believe I’m at the level of what might be called an Elite Professional

ASPIRING - I’m doing well, but I see lots of room for growth and know I’m climbing the ladder

AMBITIOUS - I’m still trying to figure some things out, and ambition and passion are my greatest allies

ELITE

ASPIRING

AMBITIOUS

There’s more. We’re getting your RAS and PFC working together, so don’t stop now. Give this your absolute all!

What do you feel you have to contribute to the group? Everyone involved is a trainer, everyone has clients, everyone is passionate about fitness, and everyone wants to help others. What specifically do you feel you can contribute that others in the group will find beneficial? This doesn’t have to be a unique contribution . . . just something you’re absolutely certain can benefit everyone here from novices to high performers.

How can the others in the group help you (three sentences)?

What is an hour of your time worth one-on-one (this should just be a dollar amount without qualification or explanation)?

* required

The next question may be very difficult, but think. Think about profit centers . . . boot camps, group sessions, seminars, corporate relationships, and just go way outside of the box if you need to. If you can’t come up with something solid and immediately do-able, that’s quite alright. Just answer with something, even if right now it seems hare-brained or off the wall.

What single program can leverage your time so you generate at least six times your regular hourly rate for a single hour?

What four things would you do on a day you absolutely loved?

Describe the difference in your career now and one year ago and with that provide a brief summation of the evolution of your personal training professional experience. In other words, how did you go from “just starting out” to where you are today?

You're done! Unless you want to review and make sure you're thrilled with your responses.   When you're OK with your completed answers, hit Submit and prepare for growth.