When we start anything new on any scale or even purchase something, a lot of time we have a specific thing that is driving us to participate or to buy that specific product. What we like to call this is the why, why that specific product or why that specific decision. What drove you to choose that service or product? What drove you to get that job or start that club? Sometimes, we even make these decisions without even realizing that we have a why. We choose to do that specific thing or buy that specific product just to please ourselves and make that our why. Is there more than just that to it though?
For fitness as a whole, it is very important to understand our why so that we can attain a happy and healthy life without losing interest or motivation to do so. Many times, over my experience as a personal trainer, a lot of the reasons why are because they felt that they needed to get healthier or just cause they wanted to, but as we start to work and break down some physical barriers we start to see some emotional barriers and mental blocks come out. So to answer that previous question, there may not always be an underlying problem or issue that we are battling but 9 times out of 10 there is something there. For example, I had a previous potential client that just wanted to look good and feel good, but the more we talked the more they opened up to me and the more it became a mental battle too before a physical one. They were so unhappy with how they looked that it affected them mentally and emotionally, which ended up manifesting in their everyday life. This is why it is important to be honest and open with your why, whether you want to admit it or not there may be other things that are driving you to make those fitness decisions or to even make decisions in general.
For me personally, my ”superficial” why was that I wanted to stop being weak on the outside and to get bigger overall. As I started working out more and discovering more about myself it was just as much about feeling more confident and happier as it was about getting big. Yes, having a well polished look and physique can give off the illusion that you are a hard worker and that you are happy, but this is not always the case. Had I not come to that realization of the deeper meaning behind what I was doing, I would not be where I am now in terms of working out and creating this business. We are here for more than just that physical aspect. Anyone can create a workout and work hard enough to get sore and to build a little muscle or lose a little weight, but not everyone realizes or is ready to make that mental change as well. This is why we look at it in a wholistic way, so that we can create strong people on the outside as well and strong and happy people on the inside.
We will leave you all with this as you read over and consider fitness or you know someone who is or may benefit, true happiness is not from the superficial things such as cars, money, houses, and other tangible things. True happiness stems from relationships, not only the ones that you create with family and friends, but also the relationship you create with yourself. Once you are truly happy with yourself, then you truly have reached a genuine form of happiness.