a conceivable exchange..

Don’t call it something you’re going to do. Call it a lifestyle. We must all make the appropriate choices throughout our day but with so many opportunities to sway us away from our healthy path we must expect to travel both routes. It is possible to appropriately indulge when living a lifestyle of positive health. We may need help defining this before we start fooling ourselves though…
Positive health should include; laughing, smiling, motion, proper nutrition, rest, stimulation, challenge, adversity, victory…

I heard you would like to drop down to 1x/week. Earlier this year you dropped from 3x/week and making another switch will not get you anywhere closer to where you want to be with your physical sphere. Turn to challenge and work towards your victory.

We all need at least 3 workouts per week to stimulate a positive response from resistance and cardiovascular training. If cash is the issue, well you really can’t put a price on a healthy life…but IF can also supplement our session with a full body circuit class on Saturday’s or http://www.mypypeline.com/ online video workouts - on-demand - for every fitness level and for every interest.

Now, to effectively bring meaning and passion towards a healthy lifestyle, one will most likely need to focus towards a tangible goal/destination. Choose a couple short term goals and work towards your larger long term goal. These steps will promote success and personal growth throughout the entire process.

The life span of these steps is limitless because once victory is experienced - our inner mind will crave this standard and living this lifestyle will become more than just a habit…it will become what you do.

Leave a Legacy

We have all seen people come and go in our lives. Many people who move on end up fading from our memories rather quickly. Usually these are the ones who have not made a big impact in our lives. There are those however, who will stand in our memories for a long time after their departure for the work they have done, the manner in which they leave and what they leave behind. These are the individuals who have made a positive impact by paving the way for others to follow.

Leaving a legacy in which to be remembered by is something we should all strive for. Doing so is your contribution towards future success. First thing we must possess is the passion for what we do. By being passionate we naturally will accomplish great work and be recognized for it. Yet to leave a legacy and be remembered throughout the ages we must also teach others to be able to do this same great work when we are gone.

Every single one of us has a role in the lives we live. Weather a parent, teacher or employee in an organization, to leave a legacy in which to be remembered by we must be conscious about how we are passing on the knowledge and skills we have learned to those following behind us so that they are able to succeed. Imagine how good it will feel to know that you left your mark and that someone out there has taken your teachings and is using it to move forward with. Be remembered for whatever it is you do.

What are you doing in your life that ensures you are leaving a legacy for those who are looking up to you ad following in your footsteps?

Here are some action steps to consider: If you are passionate then you are more likely to be a charismatic person that others will follow. As a leader, spend time to get to know those around you. Find out what makes them unique. Ask yourself what values do they have and how can you best lead them in a way that will be remembered? Be open to communicate with people and show them the ropes so that they may get to where you got in less time than it took you to get there. If you plan on leaving then take the time to teach last minute lessons that you have been taught by those before you. Even if you don’t plan on leaving teach those around you, share your experiences because you never know what might happen. It is the honorable thing to do in both work and life – be remembered and leave a legacy.

How to Become a Better Leader

Owning a Professional Training company entails more than just signing a lease for office space and putting your name on the door. Owning and running a successful company requires you to be a leader who inspires, guides, and, if necessary, provides discipline for your staff (coaches). I believe the management at Innovative Fitness has done that very well and I see them as leaders; therefore I am asking myself these questions. Am I a leader and if not what skills do I need to develop to become an effective leader like my mentors in the industry.

In all honesty, I need a ton of work in all areas listed below; although I have developed some of the skills. They say some people are born leaders (more natural abilities of what leaders possess) and some work towards becoming a leader. Thus said, I was not born a natural leader. Instead I am learning from the people in my life who have great leadership skills and striving to become a better leader myself. According to an article I found online, here are a list of 10 Qualities of a leader and how to acquire them.

10 Qualities of a Leader—and How to Acquire Them


1. Have vision. Leaders have a clear sense of where they want to go and how they intend to get there. They see the big picture, then create a strategic plan for achieving their goals.

Learn how to develop your vision : We are surrounded by a lot of great leaders in our industry. Sit down with ownership, customers you train and learn from the best.

2. Make decisions. Leaders aren’t afraid to make difficult or unpopular decisions because they have confidence in themselves and in their abilities. They know that indecision wastes resources and opportunities.

Learn to hone your decision-making skills : Practice making decisions in areas where failure isn’t critical to increase your confidence. If a decision turns out to be wrong, learn from it and move on.

3. Take risks. Leaders have the courage to act in situations where results aren’t assured. They're willing to risk failure.

Learn how to take risks: Analyze the situation, listing pros and cons for each option, then assign each choice a risk factor rating from 1 to 5. Next determine the likelihood that each outcome will occur. This will help you determine how much risk you want to take.

TIP: Don't expect perfection. No one wins all the time. Leaders grow by making mistakes.

4. Motivate others. Leaders can articulate their vision and ideals to others, convincing them of the value of their ideas. They can inspire people to work toward common goals and to achieve things they never thought they could do.

Learn how to motivate people: Explore the different needs that motivate people and recognize that the same rewards don’t motivate everyone. Listen carefully to others to learn what motivates them.

TIP: Motivate employees by making sure they understand how their work contributes to a larger goal.

5. Build teams. Leaders create productive teams that draw the best from people. They effectively coach teams in collaboration, consensus building, and conflict resolution.

Learn how to improve your teambuilding skills : Avoid preconceived answers to every question. Concentrate on appreciating different points of view during discussions rather than just trying to prove your point. This same willingness to include others is the key to successful teambuilding.

6. Possess self-knowledge. Leaders know their own strengths and weaknesses and are able to view their behavior objectively. They recognize their shortcomings, open themselves to feedback, and are willing to make changes when necessary.

Learn how to expand your self-knowledge : Study yourself closely and practice self-assessment techniques to learn how you behave and the effects you have on others. Ask others for their opinions or criticisms and what you can do to become a better leader. Dr. Gerald Bell, business consultant and professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C.

TIP: Keep a journal of critical incidents; look back and learn what you did well and what you might have done better.

7. Display integrity. Leaders must be trustworthy before others will follow them. Warren Bennis, The Leadership Institute, University of Southern California, says qualities that establish trust are competence, constancy, caring, candor, and congruity, which he defines as authenticity, reliability, and feeling comfortable with oneself.

Learn how to assess your integrity: Actively seek feedback from others friends, co-workers, and even employees to determine if your values and sense of responsibility coincide with those of your peer group.

8. Pursue lifelong learning. Leaders have a desire to continually learn and grow and are open to new ideas.

Learn how to expand your knowledge: Maintain a broad focus. Look beyond your colleagues and your own industry for ideas and inspiration and read books on new management theories and ideas.

TIP: Wise managers look for support staff or partners who complement their weaknesses.

9. Communicate effectively. Leaders can convey their ideas to diverse individuals and adjust their styles to meet the needs of the people they lead.

Learn how to improve communication skills : Practice communications skills such as active listening. Read between the lines during conversations, especially when dealing with subordinates who may be reluctant to say what they think. Restate important points in several ways or ask listeners to reiterate your point to you to ensure that your meaning is clear.

10. Help others succeed. Leaders empower others and go out of their way to help them achieve their full potential, thereby benefiting the organization.

Leadership in OUR Reality

We've all heard and read, many times, what makes a good leader. Normally, I like to take a situation or event from the news and try to highlight circumstances or situations that serve as examples for what I'm talking about.

I'm going to bring this one a little closer to home.

I spent some time this last weekend watching how we all interact - with customers, with each other, with friends... and one person stood out for me, because I realized upon reflection how many traits I personally would like to emulate. In a weekend of BIG highlights, his didn't necessarily come to the forefront - in fact, it was almost the opposite. Although he is still new to his role, still developing his own style, I really believe we all need to pay attention to what he already brings - and if we're smart, we'll try to incorporate some of these things into what we do.

• He is a gentleman - his manners, his courtesy and his attitude are a throwback to a time when people actually made the effort to hold the door for each other, to offer a hand up, to carry someone's bag.
• He is classy - he always carries himself with a quiet dignity.
• He cares - when he asks you a question, he gives you his full attention until you're finished answering.
• He shares - he will take the time to answer your questions, no matter what he's doing.
• And most importantly - he does not need to win, be seen as the best, or take the number one spot. Now, don't misunderstand me - he's a competitor of the highest level and wants to win - but he will ALWAYS let someone else shine, especially if it's important to them.

All of these things are the reason that people will seek him out for advice, want to spend time with him, and ultimately, help him to leave a legacy - because he will help them to be better than he is, with no ego standing in their way.

Jeff Dallin - I look forward to seeing you continue to grow and develop so that I can learn more and more from you.

~Guy

Team, please if you will…

Talking about common sense here - Not excluding being careful and not running with scissors – but the common sense that we as a team need to have during every minute of our time in the facility.
We are looking for individual ownership of our space on a group level. Meaning calling someone out for not allowing the required flow during our hours…

-put your shit away
-clean up after yourself in the back room-if you see something out of place, take care of it immediately
-don’t set-up in the middle of someone’s doubles hour!

Don’t wait for another to come along and take care of your/our business. Be proactive and react right away when something needs to be done. Multitask and keep your eyes up…if a teammate is struggling you will be able to help out right away before it’s too late.

Seriously, first thing we must do when we walk in the door (am or pm crew) make sure the team is tight. Don’t be all selfish and only be concerned with yourself. There is a reason you are on this team and we need to be thinking of everyone when we get to work. Not to say that we can’t eat or drink water, but let’s get going here; check towels, cruise through the bathroom and take a mental inventory of our area. What needs attending too? What can I/we do for my/our team?
Weeks pass and the same overachievers consistently do 80% of the little things that some of us let slide.

*How many times have you stayed late to clean up at a party you were just at?
*Many hands make light work..
*How many times have you heard that it is imperative that there is more than one person saying the same thing…just in a different way? Well you are going to keep hearing that one.

What is common sense? It’s good judgment - sound practical judgment derived from experience rather than study. So as we spend too many hours to list on our craft, we are getting the experience AND hearing from our leaders (the one’s that have already learned from a mistake) We have the opportunity to not make those errors and rise up to deliver on a high level.

So ask yourself, are you letting things slide after a long weekend or are you performing at your highest level and challenging yourself to lead by example?

The most expensive piece of art

In our lives, we will have the chance to meet people. Some good and others not so much. But they’re all on your path for a reason.

As I was sitting at the end of a table surrounded by 30 other people this weekend, all laughing, enjoying great food and each others company, it made me think about how lucky we were to have cross path in some way or another with two incredible individuals, Matt and Chantal. I can’t talk for anyone else but I felt extremely lucky to be there. It was an amazing feeling to know I am where I’m supposed to be. Meaning the RIGHT company with the RIGHT systems and the RIGHT people.  To be so well taken care of, not only this weekend, but also each day of the year. There is always someone ready to make you a better individual.   I felt very thankful they opened up their cabin to us this weekend. Which brings me to one of my highlights…

As I took a tour of their cabin when we got there, I saw (and I know you all did as well) the most expensive piece of art I have ever seen. No, they didn’t steel the Jackson Pollock Number 5 (which could be sold for 140 million) and are hiding it in their cabin. It was a wall filled with pictures from their kids, family members and friends from some of their favorite events, destinations and moments. It made reminded me why we work so hard. Not to buy a pair of jeans worth 400$ or a new car, but for moments like the ones on his wall, the ones I want to put on my wall or the one in the consult room... It was great to see how happy we were, for example when Josh made it on the skis or when you looked at Emily's face when she was surfing or when people played bear indian and cowboy! There is no price to these moments. We should never stop having them. Thank you for making more amazing moments happen this weekend. Hope you all had some highlights and amazing moments you want to put on your wall.

Avoid Pileup

Life gets busier all the time. As errands, tasks and projects get crossed off the list, new ones appear. We must accept that weather in life or at work as we strive to become better the to do list does not end. This is ok provided that we are able to handle what comes onto our plates. One of the biggest tips in tackling tasks is to take care of it right away. Avoid the pileup. The more we pileup our to do items the busier, more cluttered and more stressed life becomes.

Take home for example. You arrive home to check your mail on Monday night. You have bills and personal letters to deal with. You throw it onto the counter and grab a drink from the fridge. You set your empty can on the counter and start cooking. You then accidently spill a bit of your drink on the counter while cutting veggies. No problem you think.. Will get to it later. Times passes, you have a great meal and put the dishes in the sink and start to clean as your phone rings. It's Betty and she is inviting you to watch a movie. You say sure and think, i'll do the dishes when I get home. As you can see, everything is starting to pile up. With this approach, by weeks end you will have a whole Saturday or Sunday taking care of your pileup.

At work can be another example. You are training, someone wants a water bottle. You are so busy you think, I will write the drink on the tab later. An hour passes and you still havnt written the tab down. You start to write your log for the session (which could have been done during the hour) when you decide to check your email quickly. You open up an important email that needs responding to. No worries, you think.. I will get to it tonight. When you get home you then check your mail again.

As you can see, these are the simplest of examples but when we approach it with the 'get to it later' attitude it only will pile up and create more work later. Take the time to slice and dice each task as it happens. Finish one thing before you start another.