The greatest gift that you were given in life was given to you for free…
…and that may be why most people don’t value it.
Here’s an article I just read by Training For Warriors creator Martin Rooney that brings the message home perfect. This might be something you want to share with your clients, too.
When you were born, you were given the greatest gift in the cosmos. You were given a life of time. Most people, however, don’t value their time. Perhaps this is because this great gift was given to us for free.
Think you are smart enough to avoid “spending” your time?
Maybe not.
In fact, many people spend huge amounts of their time each day without any return on investment. When you spend your time in front of the TV, searching aimlessly on the internet, eating the wrong food or hanging out with the wrong people, you are spending time with no real hope of a positive return.
The short-term return of a cheap laugh, sugar rush, or extra pound of fat may feel good at the time, but is worthless for a trainer (or anyone for that matter) in the long term. A successful life is not created when you simply spend time. Success happens when you invest your time.
No matter who you are or where you are from, you have something in common with everyone else: you were given 24 hours today, and the Clock is Ticking. In your Time Budget, you are given 24 hours in a day. Today you, like everyone else, will get 24 hours. What you do with each 24 hour day added up over your lifetime will determine your future.
If you really understand that, then every hour, minute and second becomes valuable. In fact, time is more valuable than money because you can always get more money, but once your time is gone, you cannot have it back.
When you invest money, you should expect a return. The same should be true for your time. The great news? Investing in yourself doesn’t need to be a huge lifestyle overhaul in just a few days or weeks.
What counts is gradual progress with a clear goal in mind of appreciating self-optimization.
Here is my list of 5 things you can do to make sure you’re actively protecting your most important investment:
1. Eat Well. It sounds easy, but for many people, cleaning up one’s diet can be a challenge when confronted with habits, traditions, and peer pressures. Going back to our car example, think of it this way: if you want your car to last as long as possible and run smoothly and efficiently, the clear choice is premium-grade gasoline. Similarly, if you want your body and health to be at the highest level of performance, only feed yourself premium “fuel” in natural, whole forms.
2. Sleep. Many people these days are concerned with working out more, multitasking, and trying too hard to do too much. While keeping busy is not inherently bad, not getting sufficient rest to recover is. You can’t build muscle without rest days and you can’t master new skills without time to digest it.
3. Read. Society lately has grown progressively inclined to read short blurbs about interesting topics because that’s what fits on your laptop and smartphone screens, but that scenario leaves some things to be desired. Yes, online has rich content (I hope this blog is one of them), but it’s also important to dive into good books. The longer and deeper the material, the more your mind will be stimulated by its content and the more you’ll learn and grow.
4. Exercise. This is probably a no-brainer for those of you reading, but it still must be mentioned. Exercise keeps your metabolism healthy, your hormones in balance, your muscles and physiology running efficiently, and energizes your brain so you can keep learning and working on yourself every day. Exercise is also really fun, and a great chance to spend time with friends and build relationships.
5.Get Regular Check-ups (Dentist/Doctor). It would be a shame for all of your hard work to go to waste because you’re home sick from work! You don’t need to obsess, but knowing where you stand every so often is very empowering and useful for many situations. This is even more important when you decide to try some big diet or exercise changes and you want to know how your physiology is changing. The more informed of your own health, the better equipped you’ll be to control it.
Yours in Strength,
Martin Rooney
Thanks for drawing this out so clearly Martin – brilliantly said!
If you were at Fitness Business Summit this March that you saw the energy, passion, and drive that Marin Rooney brings to our industry.
Just yesterday Martin opened up his Training for Warriors Certification course and it’s one of THE most in-depth certification courses there is for fitness pros, coaches, and high level athletes.
I HIGHLY recommend this certification. And since Martin is offering this amazing course online (it’s normally done in person and costs a LOT more) it just makes sense that you check it out today and see if it’s something that you can help you sharpen your skill and grow your knowledge base.
Click Here To Learn The Details
Committed to your success,
Bedros Keuilian