What I'm about to say is going to be highly controversial.

It might even offend a few people.

But I have to be honest.

I work in an industry that is incredibly flaky.
I work in an industry that is riddled with Narcissists.
I work in an industry that is full of Sleazy Salespeople.
I work in an industry that is littered with Moronic Meatheads.
I work in an industry that is over saturated with Ass Selfies and Filtered Progress Photos.
I work in an industry that I once loved, but am slowly beginning to loathe.........

I'm supposed to work in an industry that promotes Health and Fitness.
Instead I work in an industry that promotes "Ripped Abs" and "Booty Gains."

I'm supposed to work in an industry that motivates people to better their lives through Healthy Nutrition and Regular Exercise.
Instead I work in an industry that motivates people to better their lives through Fad Diets and Quick Fixes.

I'm supposed to work in an industry that teaches people that hard work and discipline does pay off.
Instead, I work in an industry that teaches people that minimal effort and flexible dieting will provide half decent results.

I take my career seriously.
I promote longevity.
I use a combination of aesthetics and overall health in order to motivate my clients to train harder and eat cleaner.
I use REAL science instead of bro science to educate my clients on the facts, rather than become lost in the fiction.
And I don't accept or even acknowledge " half decent results".

As most of you know, I’m fairly transparent when it comes to the events that occur within my own life. Whether it be disclosing the daily stresses of potentially losing our business at the beginning stages of COVID-19, or documenting my Grand Mal Seizure and all the tests and procedures that took place afterwards, or admitting my addiction to pain killers in one of my most recent blogs, I’ve always tried to remain openly honest and real with my clients and online followers.

Round 1

This past weekend, another Trainer and I had a disagreement that turned into a heated argument, that eventually escalated into a fight. No punches were thrown, but harsh words were said. My teaching methods were critiqued, my coaching skills were questioned, and the way in which I run my business was attacked with anger and exasperation.

Now I will admit, that I played a large role in this fight. I’m ashamed of my behaviour as rather then try to diffuse the situation, I took the low road and poured gas onto a fire that could have easily been put out before it had a chance to ignite. But unfortunately I let my emotions get the best of me, and went on the defence while verbally attacking my opponent back. A highly immature decision on my part in which I regret profusely.

During our disagreement/argument/fight my adversary lashed out at me by claiming that I don’t coach people. Now given the fact that I currently have a roster of over 200 clients (both In-Person and Online), close to 500 testimonials, and a track record for helping people transform their physiques, improve their health, and better their fitness, I asked this Trainer to elaborate on her comment as coaching people is exactly what I’m trained to do and have been doing for the past two decades.

And so she did……

Earlier this week both Instagram and Facebook were reported as being down for a few hours (six hours to be exact).

At first I was frustrated, as I spend a great deal of time marketing our services through these two Social Media Platforms and receive quite a bit of business from all the networking that we do online. However after a few hours into this Social Media Shutdown, my frustration started to slowly turn into relief. This was the first time in a long time that I could separate myself from my phone for more then an hour. I didn’t have to worry about what post to write and/or what video to post. I was able to focus on other components of our business while at the same time giving my brain some much needed down time of it’s own from the Social Media World. And I have to admit - I LOVED it!!!

But it occurred to me today (the day after the shutdown) - Why don’t I unplug from Social Media more often? I mean do I really need to spend as much time as I do creating content to post online?

I don't know about you, but I like getting shit done. Ever since I first started my business and became an Entrepreneur, I rarely if ever have allowed myself to procrastinate on a task I didn't want to do, or delay a job that needed to get done. I think in order to be successful at anything we do in life, we need to have a constant fire under our asses that ensures we remain focused and on track. In my opinion, the people who are most successful in life are the ones that are willing to give 110% effort to everything they do. These people are not afraid to take risks, work incredibly long hours, and will even sacrifice meaningful relationships if necessary. Sure it's important to have a back-up plan if things don't always go as originally planned. But in my own experience, when you don't have a Plan B, and your only option is Plan A, then you need to create a winning formula that produces positive results. And the only way to create this formula is by combining a sickening work ethic with a true passion for what you are trying to achieve. Otherwise all you're doing is just gaslighting yourself and blowing a lot of hot air.