It was then that I made the decision to be excellent.

I wanted to ‘crush it’ on all the measurements of success while I was at boot camp.  So, I studied the requirements of the physical and academic testing.  I worked out specifically to the standards of the test.  My running, push ups and sit ups were all timed to simulate the test.  I read the course work and took copious notes in the classroom when I got to boot camp.

In addition to my decision to be excellent I also have a competitive nature that drives me.  I’m never focused on having another person to lose.  Instead, I’m always focused on my vision of the win.

In conclusion, I finished first in the fitness and academic testing.  And, I received the top award in my class.

Where have you decided to be excellent?

I’ve been trying to teach my 5 year old how to use her body to propel herself on the swing.  The other day, I realized that she needed the goal to be hers and the reward needed to be compelling.

Me: “If you learn to pump yourself on the swing over the next 10 minutes I’ll give you 10 chocolate chips [her compelling 'why'].”

At that moment something shifted in her and it was visible.  She began soliciting advice and implementing with the full anticipation of those chocolate chips.  She was focused.  And, in less than two minutes she had found her rhythm.

“Mama, I’m Freeeeeeeee!”

That was a big moment for us both.  It was no longer about getting the immediate reward of the chocolate chips.  She realized that she had created an experience that gave her success and freedom from being at the mercy of someone else in charge of her fun.

My virtual fitness clients experience  that freedom using the same formula: Big Goal + Narrow Focus = Freedom.

I’d love to know your thoughts.  What unexpected rewards have you gained as a result of achieving your big goals?

Todd Durkin Mastemind Members in attendance (Left to Right): Julie Wilcox, Deb Vincent, Vito La Fata, Jeanie Callen Barat, Troy Fontana, Trina Gray, Larry Indiviglia, Me, Todd Durkin, Randy Hetrick

As a member of Todd Durkin’s Mastermind I got to sit in on his 3 Day Mentorship sessions this weekend.  As usual,   Todd always over delivers and his keynote speakers are always top in the fitness field. 

This weekend’s keynote speaker was Randy Hetrick founder of the TRX Suspension Trainer and Fitness Anywhere. One of the conference attendees asked Randy to share his biggest life lesson from 13 years as a member of the USN SEAL teams. 

Randy’s reply, “Lead from the front.”  He never asks his team to do something he hasn’t already done. 

Randy closed with Fitness Anywhere’s mission, which is to democratize world fitness by being able to distribute the same exercises that Drew Brees does to everyone. 

In my experience he is doing this very well.  Drew does the single leg squat suspension and is on a mission to finish strong this year down in New Orleans.  I have brilliant women doing that same exercise in my boot camps. 

If you get a chance to listen to Randy speak on branding – I say run!  He has a brilliant business mind. 

by ElDave

The painful valleys that we all find ourselves in at one time or another are seemingly insurmountable at the time we are wandering.  I remember after I had my second child that I was not prepared for that first year of unanswered health concerns.  Only mother can understand fully what it means to be responsible for the health of her baby.

But, how about your pain?  Be honest.  Are you in a relationship with someone that is hard to love – a family member or friend?  Could it be that you have made financial choices and you’re feeling the squeeze?  Or, is your valley the one concerning your level of physical fitness.   For sure, whatever your pain…it is costing you. 

Your pain is not without purpose.   Your pain is the vehicle that will cause you to mobilize or remain immobilized.   And, the consequences of your level of life fitness – relational, financial and physical – will continue to keep you circling or will cause you to find the bridge to a higher living.  

For me that meant prayer, surrounding myself with knowledgeable medical experts, and a community of like-minded moms that both encouraged and educated me.   A most remarkable transformation happened I have crossed the bridge.  My child has matured with no signs of the past. 

Through this experience I am sure that hardest choice would have been for me to stay stuck.  I encourage you to find the bridge that will give you the strategies to have your own remarkable consequences, possibly enternal ones.

The Prized Pumpkin

Last week our family went to the pumpkin patch for our annual romp through the massive green fields dotted with orange.  We all enjoy the memory making event.  My husband has a strategy.  He likes to get the wheelbarrow and bump it along with the kids inside to the far stretches of the field.  I’m convinced it’s more about the hunt for him than simply picking out the first reasonably good looking pumpkin.  Additionally, he scans for the biggest, heaviest pumpkin on the lot.  The mission is a lofty one for our little ones, but they are eager and persistent.

I trail behind with the camera as they all stop at first one pumpkin and then another.  They thump it, pat it and walk around it only to eventually move on and repeat the process two dozen or more times.  The exchange between them usually goes like this:

“Oh! How about this one, Papi!”

“Let me see, dear,” as he runs his hands across the broad ridges.

“Nope.  That has too many scars.  Let’s keep going.”

“Papi,” says our daughter running and tripping over vines, “Look at this big one!”

“Let me take a look here.”  He lowers himself to check the symmetry of the pumpkin.  “Not this one.  It’s a bit lopsided,” he says as he quickly navigates the wheelbarrow down the row to avoid any rebuttal. 

Eventually the grandest pumpkin is selected by way of my husband’s coaching.  This year they hit the jackpot with an 84 pounder. There was a lot of sweat going on to land it into the wheelbarrow, but it was certainly worth all the effort. The kids were satisfied and beamed like they had joined ranks with the ”Granddaddy of all pumpkin hunters.” Goal met.  Everyone wins. High fives all around.

I find this scenario translating easily into my physical fitness coaching business.  I’m like my husband, in that I have the fitness knowledge and experience to coach a client toward the agreed upon goal. My fitness clients are the novice pumpkin hunters when they first start training.   Along the way, their enthusiasm, trust in the systems and relentless pursuit are remarkable.  When the dedicated ones win their fitness goals they can understand what it must be like to achieve status as ”Granddaddy of All Pumpkin Hunters.”

Have you ever wrestled with the issue of identifying “who you truly are meant to be” versus “conforming with what everyone else is already doing?”

A few weeks ago, I was listening to Paul Evans of Nicheology in his clip called The Income Initiative. He was explaining that a big hurdle to achieving success in online business is that we too often try to conform with what others are doing in a clone-like fashion while forsaking our own unique experiences and insights.  Paul offered some practical solutions and I tuned in despite the piles of laundry that were looking at me longingly to be folded, because some days it’s dinner on the table or clean underwear in the drawer, but not both. 

Just like everyone else I have times when I need to check which drumbeat I’m following.  Paul made some points that were seemingly obvious, but the way he packaged it was clear and original.  Besides some other meaty nuggets for my business there was a take-away from his lesson which I’m able to boil down to one simple underlying truth. It is the truth that we all need to be faithful to follow the path that we are most hopeful in.  It is the direction that feels like home…your home, not everyone else’s. 

For me that means a constant gut check to make sure that I’m delivering my unique value to clients in a way that keeps my eyes focused not on being a clone of the crowds in front of me or behind me, but with my eyes up and fixed on what is good, generous and faithful.

The principle of making those gut checks is a practice that I’ve transferred over to fit in with the physical fitness training programs for my clients. I will share it in an upcoming post.

Best of Energy!

Ashley