Successful Personal Trainers Aren’t Afraid to Take Action. Are You?

I recently read a Facebook comment written by a young woman responding to a post on Renegade Fitness Marketing. This post was about how much money personal trainers make and how there is a genuine method for becoming a financially successful fitness professional.

But her response was expressing an… opposite opinion. She talked about how she tried personal training but that the market was unfair. She claims there are too many trainers out there, flooding the market and making it impossible for her to succeed.

“I wanted to do this so badly,” she said, “but the flooded market and the fact that there are so many better than me turn me off.”

She finished with a sentiment that really got to me: “It makes me sad because I’m a very personable teacher but people want big bodybuilders and hot ex marines.”

This girl’s comment had such a strong effect on me because it’s a perfect example of how success is entirely based on mindset, work ethic and attitude.

See, I watch aspiring personal trainers succeed every day. I mentor some of them, but many of them are complete strangers. They come from all walks of life, from different countries and they are all completely different kinds of people, but they find success in the fitness industry nonetheless. (And very few of them are bodybuilders or marines…)

So how is it that all of these different types of people are able to find success in a flooded market that favors only certain individuals?

The reality is that this poor girl and her comment are dead wrong. It was never the market or her ability that made her fail— there was one thing and one thing only that brought on her failure: her attitude!

How can you expect to succeed when your expectation is failure? How could you possibly be a success when you quit because there are people better than you? She says she wants to train “so badly;” well, obviously she doesn’t want it bad enough or else she would have gotten it by now.

And I’m not trying to shame this person, I do understand where she is coming from and why she feels the way she does. But she is a prime example of how a poor mindset and a lack of determination bring inevitable failure.

The only thing stopping this girl from succeeding is herself. She either doesn’t want to or doesn’t have the confidence to put in the work and the effort to truly become a success.

But the good news is that if all it takes to be a success is hard work and effort, then you’re in luck.

Because I don’t care who you are, whether you’re young or old, American or Australian, rich or poor, there’s one thing every single one of us can give, no matter what: effort.

There’s no reason why you can’t work hard. Excuses, sure, but no genuine reasons. And it doesn’t get any easier than hard work.

Because if success in the fitness industry required natural talent or particular traits that couldn’t be learned, then most of us would be shit outa luck. But it doesn’t require any of that; all you need is hard work and determination.

Take it from me, I did not start off as the person I am today. My first attempts at sales were mortifyingly appalling, my first online product was a failure, my first YouTube videos are cringe-worthy— I was awful! And even today, when I try completely new things for the first time I’m awful at them too!

But the difference between me and a failure is that I don’t give up; I don’t just quit because it’s hard. I hit it again and again until I start to learn how I can achieve success.

So when people like me say, “success is just hard work,” that’s what we really mean. It’s not a meaningless statement to get you to buy my product or just a simplistic inspirational message without real meaning. I’m telling you the absolute truth: if you want to do well as a businessperson all you have to do is work hard enough to learn your marketing, training, and business skills, and then apply those skills.

It all comes down to one thing: Taking Action. Whatever it is you want to learn, to master, to create, it all starts by taking action.

If something fails the first time or the first 100 times you just have to keep taking action and keep working until it’s a success.

And don’t worry, I’ve got some real, tangible tips here that you can use to get into the habit of always taking action.

#1 – Indecision Kills

You’ll do more damage stalling than you will actually failing. At least failure teaches you something. But if you let indecision keep you from taking action, you’ll never accomplish, fail, or learn anything.

You won’t always be 100% sure of the best choice, there won’t always be a perfect option, and occasionally you won’t really have enough time to sit and wonder about your choices.

Yes, you’ll definitely want to be as informed as possible and consider whatever you can in the time you have, but don’t let pussyfooting keep you from being an action taker.

Besides, if you do realize you’re headed in the wrong direction you can always correct your course.

#2 – Lean Into the Sides of Your Comfort Zone

Don’t give yourself any breaks. Don’t baby yourself. If you think you need three weeks for one task, do it in two. If you’re worried about your skills or abilities, start studying.

With the right equipment, coaching and confidence you can operate quite comfortably far outside your current comfort zone.

You would also do well to make sure your comfort zone is constantly expanding. Once you’re so familiar with something that it becomes comfortable, your clients have already been tired of it for a month. You’ve got to keep changing, adapting and creating faster than anyone else can copy.

#3 – Get on the Field

Learning by observation and study is great, but it means nothing if you never get out on the field and play.

It’s easy to study. It takes no commitment, there’s no risk when you’re just learning. But as soon as learning becomes working, then you’ve got to take real action without hesitation.

Play like a pro even if it’s you’re first day.

#4 – Take Imperfect Action

How long can you wait to start training clients? How long can your info product sit on your computer before you start making some money? When is anything really perfect?

If you’re going to be taking action all the time then you’re inevitably going to be taking some imperfect action.

But that’s OK— because if you’re waiting around for perfect, you’ll be waiting until the end of the world. You’ll never get to perfect with your first try, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get going!

Take imperfect action and work toward perfect after your initial successes.

Taking Action is the fundamental key to all success. Honestly, it’s my decision to take action no matter what that has gotten me to the businessman I am today.

Big or small, daily action is the real secret behind all the world’s success.

And it’ll work pretty well for you too.

Committed to your success,

Bedros