Personal Fitness Professional - March 2009 - (Page 31) [BE BETTER] BY PHIL KAPLAN THE ECONOMY OF MINDSET ome trainers will prosper in this period in American history called a recession. Most, however, will struggle to make ends meet, will settle for less than they are capable of and will find some odd comfort in justifying their shortcomings. “ e economy” is a convenient target for the crippling finger of blame. What’s the difference between those who will prosper and those who will watch from the sidelines? If all else is equal — knowledge base, people skills and energy — the difference comes down to mindset and the actions that mindset initiates. S Which Mindset Do You Identify With? Gillian sits behind the desk, commiserating with a colleague. “Les, I don’t know when this is going to turn around; something better give soon. I’m struggling.” Les responds, “It’s crazy. Last year at this time, I had 38 sessions a week, and now I’m down to 16 on a good week. To top it off, I heard that Wall Street took another hit today.” As they speak, a Porsche pulls into the lot and parks near a BMW and a Land Rover. Gillian and Les didn’t notice Jerry, the owner of the Porsche, enter the gym. Jerry just secured contracts with two banks, and Jerry’s Movers is officially handling moving and storage on all of the banks’ foreclosures. His back hurts, but he will hesitantly move through his self-guided workout. Gillian and Les also fail to notice Marianne on the treadmill, looking at her watch. Child care closes at 10:30, and she only has 15 minutes before she must get her girls into the Land Rover and off to gymnastics. She’s fretting because even with 45 minutes on the treadmill, her thighs keep jiggling. Gillian taps away at the computer with a friend on Facebook and types: Money’s tight here. Nobody wants to pay for training. Les peers at the monitor. “If this doesn’t turn around soon, I’m going to have to get another roommate.” In that moment, Michael, the owner of the dry cleaner, comes out of the locker room and considers asking one of the trainers for a program. He thinks they’re busy, walks out of the gym, puts his bag in his BMW and leaves. moving into new homes are few and far between. Jerry didn’t buy into the mass-think. He realized that the landscape changed, and he changed with it. Marianne isn’t hurt by the economy. She pays for gymnastics for her girls, sends them to private school and comfortably manages to gas up the Land Rover. She’s one of the millions of health club users who could find extreme benefit in a connection with a trainer. She just needs the wake-up call. So why are the trainers struggling? Let’s be honest. Most personal trainers don’t have portfolios including significant stock holdings affected by daily Wall Street activity, and most aren’t tied up in the global markets that warrant concern over daily shifts in the value of the American dollar. However, many trainers have opted into a scarcity mentality. Gillian and Les should step away from the computer, seek out opportunities — perhaps in a way they haven’t had to before — and capitalize on providing an incredibly valuable service to those who need it. In a time of stress, you’re a need. You can help people offset the diseases that come with worry, fear and concern. It’s easy to buy into the negative talk that pervades the workplace. People may in fact be cutting back on luxuries, but if you’re positioned as a luxury, you need a positioning shift. In a time of stress, you’re a need. You can help people offset the diseases that come with worry, fear and concern. You can help an unfit population find better performance and new confidence. You can deliver a sense of well-being that replaces prescriptions, doctor visits and unsupportive escapes (alcohol, meds, etc.). Might you have to reach out to more people to get the client base you’re comfortable with? Sure. Might you have to up your game? Sure, but isn’t “betterment” what you preach? Might you have to distance yourself from the chorus of groans and complaints that lead to a debilitating sense of connection with suffering? Sure, but you’ll trade the shared bellyache for career growth. I challenge you to adopt a mindset of opportunity, be strategic in positioning and increase the rate at which you connect with prospective clients. Will you then tell me the economy is limiting you? Phil Kaplan (philkaplan.com) shares specific strategies for personal training prosperity in his Be Better programs for fitness professionals. MARCH2009 WWW.FIT PRO.COM What’s Really Going on Here? Gillian and Les, representative of thousands like them, have bought so heavily into the idea of gloom and doom, their careers will suffer unnecessarily. ey feed the death of their personal training careers on a daily basis. e economic downturn is not a monster that prohibits people from making money. It is a reality that affects those who are subject to its immediate perils (department stores, car dealers, real estate sellers, etc.). It also has the ability to seep into the lives of those who are, without genuine reason, willing to buy into its life-sucking power. In the previous scene, Jerry isn’t hurt by the economy. His moving company is leading him to greater prosperity. Others in his field suffer. People http://www.philkaplan.com http://www.fit-pro.com
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