Achieving Your Goals and Dream Life – Step Nine

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Achieving Your Goals and Dream Life – Step Nine

Be An Inspiration to Others

I feel very confident that when you focus on helping others and inspiring others to live their dream life, it makes it easier to achieve your goals.

For example, maybe you’re one of the lucky few fitness fanatics?  You have no problem getting up every morning and getting to the gym for your workout or your early morning run.  You’ve been exercising for years and couldn’t imagine ever quitting.  When you’re on vacation or on a business trip, you always book at a hotel that offers a fitness gym so you don’t get off track.  You exercise 5 plus times per week and it’s never a problem and in fact, sometimes, you have to really discipline yourself to take a rest day.  Sedentary, couch potatoes watch you with envy wondering how you do it!

Were you always so disciplined?  Probably not.  Think back to when you first started exercising.  Do you remember how it felt?  You may have felt a little awkward or clumsy.  You may have been really stiff and sore the next day.  It may have taken you a little while to get into a routine and feel comfortable with what you were doing.  You may have hated every second of every workout!

When did exercise change from a chore to a necessity, to a desire? When and how did you get hooked?  As personal trainers, it’s our job to get new clients to the point where they’ve caught the exercise “bug”.  This is when clients stop complaining about how much exercise hurts and how difficult it is to stick to their program and instead, start commenting on how exercise makes them feel so good and how they find they need exercise to de-stress, find energy or be more productive at work.

Unfortunately, most people never get hooked on exercise. 

They give up before their body starts to experience these wonderful feelings associated with the exercise “high”.  Within 3 months, 80% of new exercisers have dropped out never getting a chance to take their exercise program to the next level.  The first few months are a critical stage.  During this time, a new exerciser needs a ton of support.  On their own, it’s so easy to throw in the towel.  But if they have friends, family or a personal trainer helping them with their pursuit towards a healthier lifestyle, they will be more likely to succeed.

For those of you veteran exercisers- those of you who’ve made it and succeeded with exercise – I have a challenge for you.  Choose one person in your life – a friend, a parent, a sibling, a partner, a child, a co-worker, anyone who has expressed a desire to get fit – and take them under your wings and help them to get fit.  You can share with them some of the obstacles you’ve overcome.  You could introduce them to new, fun and exciting activities.  You could schedule one or more workouts every week with them for the first 3 months until they slowly develop some independence and can start to wean away from you.  You can share healthy recipes.  You could register for a program or clinic together.  Maybe you could both sign up for something neither of you have ever tried before – that will remind you what it’s like to be a beginner again!  You could sign each other up to compete in a fun run or walk together. You could both consult with a personal trainer and do partner training at a reduced rate for each of you.  There are so many ways you can help out!

You’ll feel so good that you’re contributing and making a difference to someone’s life.  If you can get your prodigy to the point where they’re hooked on exercise for life, they’ll be forever grateful!

If you have been successful in the business arena, you could be a business mentor.  If you have enjoyed a wonderful, enduring relationship, you could become a relationship or marriage coach.

I am reminded of the following quote by Marianne Williamson in Return to the Light.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?” Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory of God….And as we let our own light shine we unconsciously give people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

So as we let our own light shine and reach for our Personal Best and our dreams, that will inspire others to find their own light and strive for their dreams and goals.

Sherri McMillan, M.Sc. has been inspiring the world to adopt a fitness lifestyle for over 20 years and has received numerous industry awards including International Personal Trainer and Fitness Presenter of the Year. She is the author of five books including “Go For Fit – the Winning Way to Fat Loss” and “Fit over Forty” and is the featured presenter in various fitness DVDs.  She is the owner of Northwest Personal Training in downtown Vancouver and can be seen running, hiking or cycling with her two children, Brianna and Jackson.  She can be reached at www.nwPersonalTraining.com or www.ShapeupwithSherri.com Note:  As an avid Columbian reader, you can redeem a 2 week pass at her world-class training studio to help get you started.  Contact 360.574.7292 for more details.