Have you ever wondered why some people are successful and other people can’t seem to get it together? Is it chance or luck?
Spoiler Alert: It’s Not Chance or Luck!!!
Today I’m going to share 3 common habits that successful people in our gym share. For context, I’ve been coaching clients since 2005 and have owned a gym for the past 7 years. I’m also a licensed physical therapist. That’s a lot of coaching reps, a lot of time in the gym, and a lot of “people watching”. The trends I want to talk about today are visible across all demographics, ages, and skill levels.
Want to see more success when it comes to your health and fitness? These habits are where I’d start…
Habit #1: Successful People Ask for Help
Success starts with being able to admit that you need help. By definition, you are trying to get somewhere that you are currently not. Asking for help is challenging for a lot of folks because they are often incredibly successful in other areas of their life. Most of our athletes are holding down a solid career, part of a great family, and are probably doing all the super-parent activities.
As such, it can be challenging for them to admit they need help with their fitness and nutrition.
Assuming knowledge in one area = knowledge in other areas is a costly mistake. It’s also a rookie mistake. A great number of people need more accountability than information anyways. Most folks already know that potato chips aren’t helpful if they want to be “healthier” but having an accountability partner pays for itself in spades.
Additionally, you don’t get extra points for “doing it all on your own”. If you can ask for help, you’ll probably get there faster and with less casualties.
Asking for help was my biggest personal hurdle. I struggled owning a gym for about 5 years before I finally reached out to someone. I reached out to someone that was better at owning a gym than I was at that time. They were doing things I wanted to be doing, so I asked if they would help me get where they are.
When I admitted that I needed help, things started to change for the better. I had spent so long telling myself that I couldn’t afford coaching, that I didn’t need it, and that I was smart enough to figure it out on my own. I kept doing the same thing and expecting something different. There is a word for this.
I didn’t think I could “afford” coaching but the reality was that I was already paying a much higher price by needing help and not asking for it. I was paying for time. Time that could have spent living as a more successful gym owner. I didn’t think I needed help due to simple ego and pride. I should “know how to run a gym” shouldn’t I? Afterall, I’ve been in the industry since 2005 and I’m a licensed PT. PTs are smart people. Doesn’t matter. Success doesn’t care about how smart you are or how long / hard you’ve been trying. It only cares about whether or not you do the right things consistently.
My biggest personal takeaway on asking for help is this: If I can reach my goals 5 years faster, that’s 5 additional years I get to live with having achieved my goal. I’ll take that all day long but I didn’t know what I didn’t know and you probably don’t either.
Habit #2: Successful People Set Big (and small) Goals
It’s really important to have a larger goal. Good coaches begin with the end in mind and knowing the destination makes this process easier. Once the end-goal is known, a good coach will work in reverse to establish smaller, important milestones along the way. At Brentwood Barbell, we call these smaller accomplishments Bright Spots, and they are critical to your overall success.
Why do you need bright spots?
Because things will get hard. You will get bored. And you will want to quit.
Having Bright Spots to reflect on and look forward to will keep you pushing hard toward your bigger, more long-term goal. Acknowledging my bright spots was challenging for me when I first started practicing. I complained about this as much as anything. I felt silly writing them down every week but over time, I came to really appreciate them.
I now understand why Bright Spots are 100% on brand with achieving success.
You can’t wait until you lose all 100lbs to celebrate, you won’t make it. Instead, pat yourself on the back for the first 5lbs., then go from there!
Habit #3: Successful People Change Their Environment to Facilitate Success
This one can be tough. Not everyone in your life will appreciate you skipping the office doughnuts every Wednesday. Some people will give you a hard time about not drinking at the party… or skipping the party altogether. Creating an environment where you can succeed takes forethought and intention. You have to think about situations where you might fall off and then plan for them in advance.
Creating an environment for success might look like heading to the grocery store on Sunday, then coming home to wash, cut, and clean all your raw veggies so you have snacks during the week. It might look like batch cooking lean proteins on Thurs night to have meals ready for the weekend. A lot of people struggle to hit protein goals on the weekends. Environmental change might also look like sitting down on Sunday and planning when you’ll workout that week instead of taking it day by day.
The takeaway here is that if you consistently put yourself in places and situations where you’re surrounded by like-minded people their success (and habits) are going to rub off on you. The opposite if of course true too.
Success isn’t magic. This stuff can work for you! You just need to do the stuff that successful people do.
Stop trying to reinvent the wheel.
Stop trying to do it all on your own.
Stop waiting for the right time.
Just ask for help, let’s start there! If you’re ready today, Book a Meeting with one of our coaches!
Talk soon,
James