Hey there, hope you’re awesome and kickin’ some serious ass in your business

Seriously… I hope you are just friggin’ CRUSHING IT… cuz it really is all in your hands.

No one else is gonna crown you a bad ass… or has the right to decide whether or not you’re worth of everything you want and deserve in life.

In fact, the majority of people are miserable in their lives, relationships and jobs… so I wouldn’t listen to most of em… they’re better off to learn what NOT to do from… it’s true… if you want to have kick ass life and a rockin’ business… just watch the majority and do the opposite

Most people put give all their power away to others and make excuses for every negative thing in their life, putting WAY TOO MUCH stock in what others say and do… what the economy is like.. what the “industry experts say about x” … what so and so thinks.. etc…

Most trainers put way to much emphasis on the number of certifications they have… now I know this ain’t gonna make me a lot of friends… but the only people who the certifications really matter to are the organizations who make the certifications… cuz that’s how they get friggin paid… handing out letters to go after your name… but besides that they’re pretty much useless.

NOW, if what you LEARNED to get those certifications makes you a better trainer, or if you enjoy getting certifications, by all means do so… NOTHING wrong with that… and definitely don’t stop getting them cuz I said so…

Just know this one simple fact… 9 times out of 10 the trainers with the most certifications make the LEAST amount of money ( I know plenty of GREAT and BROKE trainers… living month to month… but they gotta lotta letters after their name ) There are exceptions, but they’re rare.

And… it’s not like you can’t learn all that stuff by reading a few books from some of the great exercise and resistance training minds of our time. LOTS of good books out there… they just don’t come with cute little letters to put after your name.

SURE, you gotta be good at what you do… but some letter after your name has nothing to do with how good of a trainer you are and CERTAINLY has nothing do with how much money you’re capable of making.

Ya know what the trainers who make the most money and have the most fun do?

They learn how to get from where they are now to where they want to go ( very rarely does more certifications come into play here )… they educate themselves in things like business, sales, marketing and time management... and usually even some mindset stuff thrown in there.

They take massive action in the direction of their goals… MASSIVE action… not like one or two little things… they get a TON of momentum going in the direction of their goals.

They do the stuff they makes them uncomfortable ( the only way to grow is to get out of your comfort zone…. and if YOU don’t grow, chances are your business won’t either)

They don’t take a lot of shit from people… they give others a lot of shit either… they live by their own rules and let others do the same.

They invest in themselves and in their business… knowing that if they invest in the right things, it’ll come back a hundred fold or a thousand fold or even more.

They almost always work for themselves… knowing that if you really want to get ahead they need to be the captain of the ship, take charge, take a few risks and friggin head out to sea.

Now they’re not perfect… nor are they really any smarter than most of the unsuccessful people out their… and they’ve had some dark hours… but they’ll be the first to tell you those dark hours are the keys have helped shape who they are today.

They’ve overcome great hurdles and have learned lessons along the way.

In fact, most of them carry around some serious dysfunctions… OCD, A.D.D… you name it… it’s part of what makes them who they are.

They know the importance of giving… and do so often… yet they also know the importance in getting paid good money for providing a highly valuable service… and make no apologies for charging two, three or even four times what they’re competitors often charge.

They realize that no matter what they say or do, not everyone is gonna put it into action… that only a certain percentage of people are gonna get results cuz only a certain percentage of people are doers… they’re ok with this.. they do their best, providing the best _______ ( workout, book, guidance, coaching, whatever) possible,  and then they’re also ok with the fact that from that point on the results are out of their hands ( you can give someone a great workout… but you can’t follow them around 24/7 making sure they’re doing everything else right)

They refuse to buy into the norms… if I would’ve bought into the “norm” I would be dressed in a suit and tie right now, would never swear, would make sure there’s weren’t any speling errers anywhere on the page… and I’d be following all the other boring norms that is business coach is “supposed” to follow… well you know what.. most business coaches are

1. Boring

2. Broke ( not dead broke… but most don’t have many clients and rarely make a good living… no thanks!)

If I did that stuff hardly anyone would read this blog… because it would be in-authentic… today this blog has THOUSANDS of regular readers… I guarantee you if I followed what everyone else was doing ( and what most people were actually TELLING me I should do) that I’d be lucky to have ten percent of the readership I do… people want authenticity and they want to not only learn, but also to be entertained in the process.

The ones who are kickin’ ass have a higher purpose, whether it’s a spiritual thing… some sort of contribution… they’re doing it for their family… whatever it is, it goes FAR beyond just them

They KNOW they’re gonna make mistakes

They KNOW the ducks ain’t never gonna be all in a row

They KNOW they’re gonna piss a few people off along the way and get some dirty looks

They’re cool with this

The fitness trainers who are trying to please everyone, are overly concerned with what others think about them, avoid walking through fears, are scared to piss a few people off, are scared to make mistakes, don’t take action, don’t invest in themselves, avoid risks, are waiting for everything to be perfect, are willing to take shit from others, are ONLY in this business for themselves and don’t think they’re worth a lot of money are RIGHT.. they’re pretty much just in the business of collecting certifications and that’s about it… and they’re worth about as much as they think they are… and it ain’t much.

As a reader of this blog you’re in the other 1%… the tiny fraction who see’s through the B.S. and is taking some personal responsibility for things… and for that I commend you.

You’re damn good at what you do but know that letters after your name are really just letters after your name… they don’t define you at all… YOU define you… what you say and do defines you… not what someone else says or does or thinks…and at the end of the day, what others say or do or think ain’t really much of our business anyway, that’s their business, not ours.

You are defined by your contribution.

How do I know you’re probably like this when such a small percent of our industry is … cuz if you were in the other 99% you woulda ran like hell the first time you came across this blog…  it woulda scared you to death and forced you take a long hard look at yourself… and that’s just too damn intense for the 99%’ers

I commend you on being a one percenter, an action taker, a person who makes mistakes and admits it when you do… I commend you for all the people you’re helping and all the money you charge… I commend you for being a straight up bad ass.

Don’t get me wrong… I LOVE this industry… I LOVE it with all my heart.. I just choose to surround myself with the ones who are rising to the top.

Recently I was out a Gary Vaynerchuks Wine Library in Jersey…. and I asked him what he wanted to be remembered for… and he said…

“I want my Great, Great, Great Great, Great, Great, Great Grandchildren to say, that my Great, Great, Great Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfather was BAD ASS”

I’d love to hear your comments in the comment section below… and I realized this post might make me even more enemies than I already have… but sometimes ya just gotta say what’s on your mind.

And if you’d like a super in-depth look at EVERYTHING I do to get so much of the big important “money making” stuff done in so little time… then check out Time Management for Trainers

It contains all the exact same time management and productivity strategies I use in my business that allow me to get a TON of stuff done, make a great living and still have a lot of free time left over at the end of the day…

If you’d like to clear on exactly what you should be doin’ in your business, what actions you should take, how you should prioritize things and not let the minutia and busy work hold you back from building your dream business and lifestyle, I STRONGLY suggest you check this out… it can make a HUGE difference in your life, just like it did mine…

Time Management for Trainers

You’ll discover...

• How to achieve COMPLETE control over your time, clients and the world around you…in order to achieve ULTIMATE productivity
• How to avoid the time-sucking minutia from creeping into your life… most fitness pros spend far too much time focusing on non-important “busy work” instead of focusing on the real important things that will help them achieve their goals
• 4 things you can do in your business right now to cut your hours in half while doubling your income over the next 3 to 6 months
• How to get up to 300% more stuff done in less than half the time you do now
• And much more

Click Here To Learn More About Time Management For Trainers

Image of the women working out in the back yard contributed by Lauren Brooks Miller of Lauren Brooks Kettlebells