I had the pleasure of attending Unseminar9 this past weekend. Unseminar is an Internet Marketing conference started by Pat O’Bryan. There were so many brilliant, ambitious, and fun people there. You ever just feel like your life has been changed forever by an experience, that is how I have felt both times I had the opportunity to attend this event. Although it was magical, life changing, and fun that doesn’t mean every second was easy or light hearted. I found myself facing myself for the first time in a long time and thought Karen, you have been working on your book for how many years now? Why isn’t it finished? Then I started thinking of my clients that have started and stopped the gym numerous times or have stuck with the gym, but have seen few results. Writing my book is much like losing weight and gaining it back over and over again. I get so close and then something happens. When I return to write, I have to read and reconnect with where I was taking the book.
I have coached that you have to believe in yourself for quite sometime now. I know I believe in myself at the gym, but what about in other areas of my life. I believe in myself at the gym, because I have seen much success in that area. I have lost weight, rebounded after breaking my back and after numerous back surgeries, and always have received a return on my time. I have to take that same attitude and apply it to writing my book. I know there are areas of your life you have seen tremendous success. If you started picturing your future success at the gym, eating right, or whatever your health goal may be how much success would you have? A lot! I visualized myself speaking at a conference holding up my book this morning and I will keep doing so until it is completed.
As a personal trainer it is my job to challenge my clients so they continually progress towards their goals. Everyday I give a client an exercise that looks more challenging than they think they can handle. I often here the words, Karen, I can’t do this? Karen, no I really can’t do this. More often then not, they have a look of terror on their face. My response is “yes you can”! I would not give you anything you couldn’t handle, I believe in you, I have been constructing our exercise sessions to lead you to this exercise. I have never had a client back down from the challenge and I have only have one client fail to make it though the exercise I gave her. Why? I could see it in her face. She still did not believe, even though I knew with all certainty she could do it. What did I do? I started our very next session with the same exercise, the same challenge. I reminded her of where she started and how far she had come. This time she did it! You may need someone to coach you and remind you of how far you have come. We all need that in at least one area our lives. That is why we all have unique gifts and talents. There is always an expert on the area you are struggling. All one has to do is reach out to that person.
I also believe we are all uniquely gifted by God and that many times just like I believe in my clients, God believes in us and knows that we can accomplish our goal or dream, but for some reason we miss it, we get scared, we fall short of the best we can be.
So what’s is my point with this. While I mainly help people with wellness, nutrition, and fitness goals, this could be applied to anything you want to accomplish! You must know the following:
1. You have to believe in yourself and visualize yourself attaining your goals. When I have had to return to the gym from having months to three years off at the longest, I am weak as all get out. I have to visualize myself doing standard push ups for weeks, before it seems like magic, I am doing push ups like a pro again. The thing is my mind believes it! If you are having trouble believing in your ability to do something and cannot visualize it. I recommend meditation. I’ve done it and it works.
2. Just do it. Keep taking action steps. As someone who has had to get out of bed and walk again after being told that would probably not be the case. I can tell you this, the first thing you do is stand. Then you take baby steps, then suddenly your walking, then walking is a natural part of you.
3. Often times you need a mentor or coach. I will use the gym as an example. Most people who utilize the fitness center do not see many results on their own. Why? They don’t exercise as often or as intense as they would if someone was coaching them, no one is holding them accountable, and they don’t have all the information they need to be successful.
What is your huge goal? Whether it is to finish a book or lose 100 pounds, I will tell you what I tell all my clients. You can do it! I believe in you! You have everything you need to be successful. Now it’s time to take a stand and then your first baby step.
As always, let me know if I can help!
Karen
karen@karenhummel.com
With Karen's education and eighteen years experience in the preventative health, nutrition, and fitness fields and personal experience battling weight, she could not ignore the growing obesity epidemic, especially after the announcement by the surgeon general stating, this would be the first generation to die before their parents due to obesity. This is not a legacy Karen wants to leave behind.