Remember Why You Started...

It’s a line that we have on the wall at Spurling, as you can see in the picture below…

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Today, though, I want to talk about the person in the picture.

As Marty was leaving on Friday she went over to our chalkboard that prompts members to write the answer to different questions.

The question on the board that day was “what was your biggest accomplishment in the last month?”

Marty knelt down and wrote…

“Getting back on the Frequent Sweaters board.”

For those who don’t know, we have a board in the gym that celebrates everyone who came in for at least 10 visits in the previous month.

She was excited that she had finally been able to get her name on the board again.

“It’s been awhile, Doug.”

That’s what she yelled as she ran out the gym, most likely headed back to work and family obligations.

It got me thinking…

Marty has a pretty cool story as a member of Spurling.

She’s been a client of Spurling since the very beginning.

She would faithfully come 3-4x per week with her friends, some of which are still members, others have moved on for one reason or another.

She was consistent and “crushing it.”

Then, family and work obligations set in.

She went back to work, had a family to take care of, and she went away for a little while.

Time went by and then I saw her name pop up in a session roster one day.

Next thing I know she’s back in the gym, crushing it.

She came back strong, frequency was high, and then again, family and work obligations set in.

Work changes, kid commitments, etc..

Over the summer she was “off track.”

A couple workouts in June, even fewer in July, and then she started to ramp things back up again finally getting back on the Frequent Sweaters board for October.

I think there are some valuable lessons here….

  1. It never ends. Marty is a former athlete and coach and is in great shape. But it never stops. Things come up, she didn’t come as often as she wanted, she had to take a break, but she came back. The journey of bettering yourself and getting healthier is never ending.

  2. The story probably sounds very familiar, maybe even to your own. We all struggle with consistency, we all struggle with balancing family/work, it’s never ending.

  3. Hitting 10+ workouts in a month is a big deal. I tell every new client their only goal is to come 10 times in the first 30 days. That’s usually not a problem in the first 30 days because it’s new, exciting, and you’re motivated. But what about 5 years down the road? Are you still averaging 10 workouts per month? Get on the Frequent Sweaters board every month, that’s the goal. That’s a big win.

  4. I hope Marty remembers why she started. In my opinion, that’s what keeps her, and all of us coming back.

If you haven’t started, just do one thing. Anything.

If you have started, and you’re struggling, know a couple things…

  1. You’re never alone.

  2. Remember why you started.

This stuff is hard.

It’s why I believe very few can have success going at it alone.

We all need a coach to help us and hold us accountable, a community to support us, and a family that is going to be waiting for us with open arms whenever we’re ready.

Keep up the great work, Marty. I’m proud of you.

1% Better.

Dedicated to Your Success,

Doug Spurling