Isn’t it time to take responsibility for your life and happiness? You have a choice……
Make it your goal and become a success
“SUCCESS IS GOALS!”
Over the years I’ve been on numerous courses and workshops to do with things like Personal Excellence, Business Growth, Exemplary Customer Service etc….and I’ve read lots of books on positive thinking – how to get the best from yourself – think Big – get Rich – ( you get the gist!) And the one thing that kept coming up in every area, was the importance of having goals.
Goals get you from where you are now >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> to where you want to be.
They’re like a map, they get us from A to B with the most efficiency. Without a map we get lost, we waste time and we go round in circles.
We’re used to goals in the fitness industry. We set goals with our clients. Hopefully, we set goals for ourselves too.
If you are reading this blog because you are interested in becoming a Personal Fitness Trainer, then you are beginning the research part of the work towards your goal. Congratulations! You know what you want! You’re half way there……now you need to determine the price you may have to pay to achieve that goal (whether it be time, money, effort, etc…..) and resolve to pay that price!
Let me help you…..
But before we begin, I’d like you to understand why a lot of people don’t set goals, just so you’re aware of the pitfalls that may present themselves on your journey to success:
Even though we know they’re important, why don’t we set goals?
- We don’t actually realise just HOW important they are. They’re not emphasised enough during our childhood.
- We don’t know how to set a goal. We haven’t been taught the methodology.
- Fear of rejection – we’ll be criticised, ridiculed.
- Fear of failure – “I can’t….I might lose money/time…etc.” However, people don’t understand failure. Failure is the key to success. You almost need to fail, fail and fail again, but in a forward direction. There is a lesson to be learnt from every failure. Ask yourself “Why?” Remember Thomas Edison? 5000 times he failed to create the lightbulb, but to him, that just meant he had found 5000 ways that didn’t work, so he was 5000 times nearer to making it work!
Another thing you need to be aware of is that we all have an automatic failure mechanism, ie. comfort zone, easy way out, and we could fail to live up to our potential. Be aware of “excusitis” the habit of making excuses. The good news is, we CAN OVERRIDE this by activating our SUCCESS MECHANISM – by having………….. a GOAL.
So let me educate you on Goal Setting and give you a method to follow in order to realise your future.
- First off is CHANGE. You may be in a job right now, or a situation that you wish to change. Understand that change is progress. Some people resist it, they find it scary and they tell themselves they are happy in their comfort zone. Change can be scary – if it is not GOAL directed. Goals permit us to control the direction of change – towards improvement – something that we want! MAKE THE DECISION to change.
Now….What do we WANT? We all have an area of excellence and we all have average talents. Your responsibility is to find your one exceptional talent, the thing that you are good at. The thing that really interests you. Be honest here, what do you really want? The fact that you are on this page suggests that you are very interested in the health and fitness industry. The role of the Personal Trainer encompasses many opportunities to excel in the area that you desire.
Looks like you know what you want! DECISION MADE!
- Okay, next you need to write it down – in detail, use vivid language, then it will register with your subconscious. This makes it concrete.”This is where the winners part from the losers” You really do need to record it on paper. So you may write something like this:
“I want a change of lifestyle and I have decided that I want to/would love to become a PERSONAL FITNESS TRAINER. I have decided that I want to learn as much as I can about fitness and health and share my knowledge and enthusiasm with others and help them to improve their lives. I believe I could earn a great income and live the life I desire, from being a GREAT PERSONAL FITNESS TRAINER.”
Now write down WHY you want it. We often overlook this part, but writing down the reasons makes us believe it is possible and helps us when things get tough. “Reasons are the fuel in the furnace of achievement!”
“ I want to become a PERSONAL FITNESS TRAINER……
- To do what I love doing for the majority of my day
- To be my own boss
- To decide which hours I work / what I will charge per hour
- To meet new people / help people
- I know I would give it my all because I’m passionate about fitness
- Because it excites and motivates me……
ETC. ETC. ETC…….”
- Analyse your position / your starting point. Then you will know what the next step is. So you’ve made your decision and you know what you want – now you have to identify the fist step to attaining your goal. What must you learn? What do you need to know in order to move towards your goal? Think about your strengths and weaknesses. Accept now, that there will obstacles along the way. By identifying these at the start, you will be better equipped to deal with them when they arise. So for example, what might stop you? Is it internal? Eg. Lack of self confidence? Or external? Lack of money/knowledge? etc…Be aware of your one major obstacle and take the time to focus on it, conquer it, resolve it.
The first step will usually mean researching various training providers and finding the one that best suits your own personal time and finances. At EPTI, we cater for those of you who prefer to do most of your study via online e-learning, enabling you to study in the privacy of your own home, in your own time. You can communicate with our tutors as and when the need arises using skype, e-mail or telephone, and your education concludes with a 2 week practical element in our residential training campus in Spain. We believe that this system benefits the learners as you can organise your study around your other commitments and then enjoy a fortnight in Spain, surrounded by like-minded people and professionals for an exceptional learning experience.
- Make a plan – a list of activities that are organised in respect of priorities and time.
Eg.
- Research Personal Trainer Providers via the internet
- Make a short list of potential PT providers that interest you
- Phone those listed for more information. Ask questions – see Toby’s blog, “7 Tips to avoid when choosing a Personal Trainer Course.”
- Look at your finances – Do you need to adjust anything? – will you need to borrow money?(from family/friends/bank) Is it worth the investment? Check this out so that you know you can commit and won’t have to abandon the goal halfway through.
- Make a study schedule: Do you need to reassess your time….. When will you study? At the weekends? Evenings? Whenever you have free time? Watch this space for my blog on Time management
- How much effort is required? Are you prepared to go to the gym (if you don’t already) and try out some of the training ideas and methods (also comes under time and money)
- ETC. Add things that may apply to you personally – try to think of everything that may affect you, right down to ignoring the naysayers!!!
THEN BEGIN – TAKE ACTION – AND KEEP REVISING THE PLAN
- Set a deadline. A goal without a deadline is no goal at all! No more to be said.
- Then, visualise it- create a clear mental picture and imagine yourself as a GREAT PERSONAL FITNESS TRAINER. Play it over and over again – think about it non-stop. Imagine the clothes you will wear, the locations where you will train your clients, the variety and motivation you will give them AND the rewarding comments you will receive in return. Visualise the change that you want from your life, down to the last detail.
- Finally – Back up your plan with determination and persistence – Very important! hang in there….resolve in advance that you will pursue your goal. Be optimistic and confident. Have positive expectations. Difficulties will only spur you on! Every time you are persistant, you get closer to your goal!
“All our dreams can come true – if we have the courage to pursue them”
It IS possible.
