Before I became a personal trainer, I thought they were an absolute waste of time.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I had no idea what I was doing. I was fat, out of shape, and oblivious to the numerous things I was doing wrong. It was my ego that thought they were a waste of time. I thought I knew what I was doing. I thought I was doing everything right.
But I wasn’t making any progress. And to be frank, even if I could have gotten a trainer at the time, I probably wouldn’t have been able to let my pride slide to listen enough.
Overcoming Ego and Embracing Guidance
I’ve come across that in my career, too. I had a client – I’ll call him Bertolt – who couldn’t hear anything I was saying. He wouldn’t let himself accept any of the coaching. He would grow frustrated with himself and with me when he wasn’t able to immediately know how to do something by instinct.
I remember even telling him point blank that it seemed odd to me that he wouldn’t let me do what he was paying me to do. I wasn’t rude – never be rude to your clients, they’re in a precarious position of asking for help while still being the one in charge – no, I didn’t say this rudely, but I told him point blank. He needed to hear it. He was paying me a lot of money to ignore the service he was buying.
It was like taking your car to a mechanic and then telling the mechanic he was wrong (I know people who do this with the doctor as well).
Fortunately, Bertolt and I eventually split ways. I wanted to help him, but he wasn’t ready. He wasted a lot of money, and I lost several hours that month that could have been used for someone else.
Are You Ready for a Personal Trainer?
That’s the question I’d pose to you – are you ready for a personal trainer? It’s not a matter of money, it’s a matter of mindset.
Why waste the time if you’re not going to follow through? Why go into it if you’re going to half-ass it? Don’t waste your money or your time.
Don’t waste my time or give me free money (that sounds idiotic to say, but it’s true – why do anything if you don’t have pride in it?)
Ask yourself, are you really mentally prepared to commit? If you’re wavering at all, then bail. You don’t want it, because it’s not easy. It’s not cheap. And I won’t waste my time.
If you want it, then go after it! You can do anything you put your mind to; you just have to do it.