Why are you on this Fitness Journey?

The results for the Best of 417 are in and once again I am…the runner up.

And I’m okay with that.

Before the results were announced (which this year I had NO advance notice of) I had been contemplating this notion of being the BEST.

I recently read Start with Why

by Simon Sinek. While I wouldn’t call it a groundbreaking book, it did make me stop and ask myself “Why did I start Thrive Personal Fitness”? I know the circumstances. I was disillusioned with my job in banking and searching for a way to translate my love of fitness into something that would pay the bills. But I could have gotten a job at a gym or found another job and blogged about fitness. What made me decide to work more hours, take a pay cut and venture into the completely unknown territory of being self-employed?

I did it because I had a mission. My WHY wasn’t about a competition or about being the BEST. It was about being someone who wanted to change the world. I’ve always wanted to make the world a better place. All through high school and college I wanted to do something that helped women in particular, helping them take control of their lives and making them stronger. While I never in a million years would have guessed in college this is how it would happen, I knew that was the real reason I chose to start Thrive Personal Fitness. My WHY has never changed, just the HOW. It’s this WHY that keeps me going on 10-hour days and getting up at 5 a.m. to write blog post and programs.

When you start a fitness journey, it’s about often about a WHAT – I want to lose 30 pounds or I want to run a half marathon. What is often missing is the WHY?

Why do you want to lose weight?

Why do you care about those pounds? 

Why do you want to run all those miles?

Why does crossing that finish line matter?

Why are you here?

You’re going to need to know if you expect to get up when it’s dark and cold outside for long runs or to hit the gym. Being successful on a fitness journey has nothing to do with being the BEST at it, but it has everything to do with fulfilling your why.

It’s when your WHY and my WHY intersect that the magic happens. I am not the personal trainer for every person. If your why is win a fitness competition, I am not the best for you. If your why is to lose 20 pounds in 4 weeks for a vacation and a bikini, I am not the best for you. Do I know how to do these things? Yes. Does it match my WHY? No, so I don’t.

That doesn’t mean I have to settle for or expect less than the BEST from myself or from you. I do take much pride in what I do and I want anyone on a fitness journey to feel that same pride, to wear the title “Athlete” proudly. If you’re going to do something it should always be about doing it to the best of your ability. It doesn’t mean you have to run the fastest or lift the most. It means you care enough to pick yourself up when you think you can’t go on and keep moving towards your goal. It means giving the best you have to each workout and every time you fuel your body.

And I am proud of the runner up award. That means my clients and readers feel that I am the BEST for them. Would I love to be the BEST for more people? I always say the more the merrier. Will I ask for your vote next year? I am sure I will. But will I spend as much time and effort on it? Probably not. It’s energy better spent finding solutions for the real fitness problems we all face everyday.  I intend to try to live up to the expectations of those who do feel I am the BEST and to being my BEST everyday – no official title required.

Thank you to everyone for your votes and believing in me and my WHY. Keep telling me how I can help you achieve your WHY each and every day!