Aren’t we so hard on ourselves?! We spend so much time worrying about what we aren’t so great at that we forget to celebrate the things that we are AWESOME at.
From worrying whether we post on social media enough, to comparing our bodies or the way we move, we are never quite good enough in our own eyes.
We quite frequently notice our own ‘flaws’ and wish we could get rid of them…. We overlook the fact that if we did then we would probably be getting rid of our own super powers.
The things that we deem to be a ‘flaw’ are precisely the reasons why our clients come to us. I wrote about it in today’s Insta post. The things that we see as a bad thing about us, form part of the best things about us.
For example, I cannot squat heavy. I will never be able to squat heavy… and most of my clients can squat 3 times heavier than I can. I have scoliosis and a major trigger for muscle spasms and weeks of pain is a back squat. Because of this, I have read more books, watched more tutorials and stalked more squat experts than I care to remember. Because of my scoliosis, I have made sure that I know more about how to coach a squat than I probably would have if it came naturally. I want to make sure that I can get the best from my clients and help them achieve their full potential.
My ‘weakness’ has actually been one of my biggest strengths.
It’s not just physical ‘flaws’ that have this balance. It’s the same with our business strengths, our teaching skills and our interpersonal skills. We might not think we are the best dancer…. But that will be one of the reasons that our clients love us the most…. And a reason why they will feel comfortable being part of our crew. We might think that we do not know how to teach resistance classes & are worried we wouldn’t be able to put classes together…. but know how much it will benefit our clients, so this inspires us to spend time learning so we can help more people.
These moments of doubt that we have in ourselves and our abilities can be paralysing, preventing us from starting a new class, writing a social media post/blog or even enjoying the class that we are teaching. We might be truly focused on something that if we listed it, would actually appear in the ‘flaw’ column…. What we forget is that it is actually how we use that ‘flaw’ and what it means to our clients and our business that is the important thing.
I worried for years about the way I spoke to my clients, trying so hard to be sweet and lovely because I thought I wasn’t enough of either. Turns out, it’s just must easier for me to be myself…. And my clients like it better, because then they don’t have to try to be sweet or lovely either… and that’s probably one of the reasons why they’ve formed such a strong community.
Fitness instructors are cut from a different cloth. We are willing to stand in front of a roomful of people, warts & all, on good days & on bad days, to help them feel happy, confident & excited about exercise. With that act, we gradually become better at accepting ourselves for the strengths that we have and that we are willing to share with others. We are all so different and that is what makes this industry so damn fierce!
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