February, the month for Valentine’s Day and Heart Health is a perfect time to talk about Self Love and the power behind it. What have you done to care for yourself today as an important practitioner changing lives for the better?  This actually applies 365 days a year, but we’re going to kick-start this right now. How does this really apply to being a Studio Owner or Independent Personal Trainer? How is this going to help your business? Keep reading. We have an answer and a challenge at the end that delivers $100 cash!   

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Picture this: I just gave you a bucket, and you’re either filling up or taking from that bucket. And so, as juvenile as this bucket idea may sound, I have to ask, what are you doing to fill up your own bucket?  Because the truth is, even the most supportive spouse, colleague or partner is not going to be responsible for filling your professional bucket. And a full bucket has tremendous benefits to your career and business.

We are independent, and we are small-business owners. We work in a unique environment where we rarely have a boss or a human resources department… some of us don’t even pay ourselves adequately. At the same time, our role is incessantly about giving to others (clients, teams, consultants) and leading (clients, teams, our organization as a whole).   The Self-Love practice needs to be an immediate habit.  Filling our bucket frees us to do all the giving that is required (and possibly more) in our role without compromising our own happiness.

Operating from a bucket that is half full or nearly empty (wah, wah) is terribly difficult. It is the cause of burnout,  being depleted and looking elsewhere when our true love is fitness. It  makes it impossible to give our very best to our clients and our businesses.

As Independent Personal Trainers and Studio Owners, what can we do to fill our buckets? First, let’s check-in. Who can relate to these scenarios?

  • We’re not paying ourselves.  We’re only focused on the business, the client, making ends meet, getting the kids to their activities, and what our spouse/partner needs from us to keep the ship afloat.  
  • We love this industry but the business of acquiring clients, managing the bills, knowing where to get answers for sticky situations and a safe place to discuss our business concerns leaves us feeling burnt out or frozen.
  • Training sessions have become grossly underpaid therapy for clients. We are listening to client problems and we don’t know how to bring the relationship back to its proper professional focus.
  • We’ve achieved some success but don’t feel successful. We are burdened by the demands of all of our professional obligations and don’t know how to shift the work to a structure that serves us instead of always serving the demands and the people we have committed to.
  • We’re getting up at 4am and although we get a break midday, we are not ending our day until 10pm. There’s no real down-time to take care of ourselves or “punch out.”

When we’re not instituting the practice of Self-Love and the bucket remains empty, we don’t feel the best that we can. We don’t perform as easily as we could. But there is a solution! And, it’s terribly fun and has amazing results (Just like the results you give your clients with fantastic workouts. Woot! Woot!) This is going to pay off immediately.

Here are examples to inspire you:

  • Get yourself a really amazing massage, not the kind to help with pain or an injury, but the kind that just relaxes you and leaves you feeling super chill.
  • Take a night off.  When we tend to train every evening, that 10am-3pm block doesn’t really feel relaxing because you’re going back for that second shift at 5pm. I’m suggesting a real night off. OMG! What would you do? Go out to dinner, sit on the couch and catch up on your favorite show, read a book. The options are endless.
  • Sleeping in. Now I realize we’re not very good at sleeping in because we are preset to wake up before sunrise, but give yourself permission to wake up with your body clock in the morning and not do, go, see, and please is an act of Self-Love.
  • Take action on small indulgences that you tend to deny yourself. Take a bath with special salts. Purchase a new favorite shirt. Call a friend and make time to go for lunch.
  • Grab a non-work friend and buy tickets to your favorite sporting event. It’s a boost to get out of our routine, be in a different environment and have a chance to catch up in a no-pressure space.
  • Enjoy fitness again. Go to a class where no one else knows you and walk through the experience as a passenger, not the leader. Show up, sit back and enjoy the class. Fitness as fun. You deserve it.

Self Love, self-care or filling up the bucket can be whatever speaks to you. To me, visiting a Japanese reflexology studio that I absolutely love (Yamato in River North) and I’m in heaven. I  lay down in a Lazyboy for 60 minutes and escape. I don’t have to undress. I don’t have to shower afterwards.  I don’t have to talk. No one needs me for anything. The experience is easy to schedule, peaceful, relaxing and rejuvenating.

For some of my colleagues, box seats at the Hawks game, a day all by yourselves or riding your bike at a forest preserve that you haven’t been to in five years is the right fit. It could be that monetary bonus you deserve that you budget for in your recent revenue total! (While you’re at it, take time to add a bonus to your budget this year, please.) All of these are amazing ideas and all of them are right!  Experiment. Find what works best for you to fill your bucket.

Self Love does have a small disclaimer: All of this is to be done without guilt! There is no guilt in doing kind things for ourselves. If money is tight, start with something low investment. If you have some room in the budget, indulge in something restorative. Remember, the result is a full bucket, which allows us to give our very best to our clients, careers and businesses. Brilliant, yes?  Love that!

I have more good news. There is major risk reduction!

  • You’re going to reduce the risk of burnout.
  • You’re going to reduce the risk of resenting your schedule.
  • You’re going to reduce the risk of feeling bitter towards everybody else in your organization because you feel like you’re giving more than you’re getting.

That is a win-win-win for you, your business and your clients!  

Act now. We don’t want you to wait  start giving yourself Self Love. Do not pass go, but DO collect your $200, er uh, $100 (see below).  

So, here’s the short and skinny:

  1. We all have a bucket and we need to take time to fill it. No one else is doing it for us, that’s why it’s called SELF LOVE.
  2. An act of Self Love is whatever speaks to you. There is no right or wrong. Know what makes you happy and feels good, and go for it.
  3. There is no guilt in Self Love. Remember, when your bucket is filled your clients will receive more from you and the results will be happier clients, more energy to give to your personal training business, and a reduction of exhaustion and resentment.
  4. The time is now. Do not wait to to start giving yourself Self Love until things are better, more money is flowing in, or you finally feel like you deserve it. You deserve it now.

Self Love is not the easiest action to take but I promise the results will go beyond your business and you will feel more professional satisfaction and happiness.

Thank you for taking time to read our blog! Leave a comment or share. We love your feedback.

Now, please read below, because we have a Self Love Challenge that could deliver you $100 cash!

 

Self Love Challenge

Let’s start to exercise our Self-Love practice and begin filling up our own bucket.  

We’re going to kick-start your daily Self-Love habit with a 10-Day Challenge.

What would an act of Self Love for the next 10 days look like for you? Beginning February 9th, take time for yourself and share it with See Jake and Jane Train by posting on our Facebook page. We want to see a photo of your favorite Self Love experience. We’ll pick one act of Self Love and give you $100 cash, just for refilling your tank so you can be the best for your business, your clients and this industry. How often does that happen?!

Posts will be accepted from February 12th through February 21st, 2018.

Here’s a bit of inspiration below.

  • Read a book
  • Pedi/Mani
  • Favorite TV indulgence
  • Sleeping in
  • Taking a night off
  • Dinner with a friend
  • Massage
  • Fav sporting event
  • Feel good indulgence for your car
  • Feel good indulgence for your healthy eating
  • Feel good event with your support network (beer with friend)
  • Attending your child’s sporting event without being late or leaving early because of work

We can’t wait to see your new habit!!