One Year Down – Part Two!
Last week, I shared my first five takeaways from being in business for a year. If you didn’t get to read these or want to take a look back at them, check them out here.
Here are the next five takeaways followed by some action steps to better your own life:
Go the Extra Mile
Have you ever met anyone who regretted pushing out that last rep or running that extra lap or helping that stranger on the side of the road? Of course not.
At Adam Clark Fitness, I created a place where going the extra mile almost feels like the norm.
With exercise, going the extra mile can be pushing a few extra reps out or one last sled push.
At work, it could be following up with all the customers or sending them a card to thank them for their business.
At home, it could be doing the dishes without being asked to do so or bringing home flowers for your spouse.
Going the extra mile is something you are never going to regret. As a business owner and trainer, it is my responsibility to go the extra mile for anyone who steps into Adam Clark Fitness. It is my responsibility to deliver the best possible training experience.
What is one area of your life you can start going the extra mile? Maybe it’s with your fitness but maybe it’s at work or in a relationship.
Work on yourself!
The best investment you can make is in yourself. Sure, you can invest in retirement (which is a great idea!) and other things in life but to truly reach your potential you must invest in yourself.
My personal development journey started over three years ago when I attended a conference in Baltimore and from that point on I’ve been hooked. I decided right then and there that someday I wanted to have my own gym. It certainly didn’t happen overnight so I had to work to become the person I strived to be.
From attending conferences to joining Mastermind groups to digesting book after book and podcast after podcast, I became the person who could run a successful gym, write a book and lead others.
I invested in myself and the monetary value of investing in yourself is priceless. This past year as a solopreneur, it became more evident that I needed to invest in myself as I was on my own. I leaned on Mastermind groups to get other gym owner and trainer insight. I attended conferences to learn the best practices for hiring someone, creating a vision and maintaining growth. I’ve read and listened to books, sometimes the same title two or three times, to help me anywhere from accounting to customer service to how to exercise your core safely and effectively.
Investing in yourself is something you must do to become a better person and professional. What is one investment you are going to make over the next 12 months?
Positive Vibes Only!
We’ve all been around that negative co-worker, friend or maybe even a client. I know I certainly have and it can be draining.
At Adam Clark Fitness, I am happy to say we have none of that. Sure, things happen and you have a bad day here and there, but we have fostered a supportive environment where everyone has a goal of getting better.
Being positive isn’t just some “rah-rah” sort of thing. Being positive completely changes your mindset. If you are constantly bashing yourself, around negative people and don’t have anything positive going on in your life, you’re going to be a pretty bitter person who seems stuck. You are going to be entrenched in a fixed mindset where you don’t believe you are able to change or grow.
Quite the opposite is the growth mindset. You are positive, upbeat and surround yourself with other people who are trying to get better. You believe you can grow, strive to learn and have a good outlook on life.
I’ve had my fair share of bad days, but it doesn’t help to just sit there and pout. If you keep doing that, nothing good is going to happen.
Wipe the frown off your face, smile a little bit, and think about all the potential in the world.
What is one practice you are going to implement in your life to stay positive even in the toughest of times?
Build A Tribe
I wrote a section in my book on hanging around the right people and it reads as follows:
Jim Rohn said “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”
Almost 10 years ago, T-Mobile unveiled unlimited calling to your favorite five people, called MyFaves. At the time, it was brilliant and their commercials were top-notch. That plan is now gone from the cellular giant, but who are your faves?
If you want to be successful, it is said you should be hanging around successful people. If you want to be smarter, hang around smarter people. If you want to be happy, hang around happy people. Do you get the theme here?
We all need our own cheerleaders and a tight-knit support group. Those people should be positive but also real. Those people should be people you love being around and spending quality time with.
Who makes up your MyFaves?
In my first year of business, I could not have imagined the lives I’ve been able to touch and the tribe I’ve helped to build. I put our culture and community up against anyone and believe it would be at the top.
When I train, it’s almost like hanging out with a bunch of my friends. I thoroughly enjoy the experience. I like it so much that I enjoy hanging out outside of work too. From putting on seminars outside of training hours, having a BBQ at my house, tailgating a football game and having a party to celebrate one year in business, it would be hard for me to pick my MyFaves because everyone in my gym I enjoy spending time with.
Who is in your tribe? Make sure they are people that are bringing joy into your life and that uplift you. Building a tribe takes time but if you continue to work on yourself, you will attract the right people.
Take Action!
You can have all the knowledge in the world, but as Dale Carnegie said, “knowledge isn’t power until it’s applied.”
It’s time to take action.
If you want to train for a marathon, what is the first step you need to take? Do it.
If you want to lose weight, what is the first change you need to make? Do it.
If you want to write a book, what should you do? Do it.
Just do it. Take one step because without taking that first step you are always going to be playing the “what if” game and that’s not a good game to play.
Stop living in the past and start living for now.
Over the past few years, I’ve lived a life of action and have reaped the rewards. You have the power. It’s time to just do it!
What are you going to take action on starting today to better your life?
I know that over the last two weeks at least one of these takeaways resonates with you. I look forward to year two of business and can’t wait to see what my takeaways are. Thank you for making this experience of a lifetime possible so far!
#lessonsfromabusinessowner #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #personaltrainer #solopreneur #adamclarkfitness #fitnessmotivation