Fit For Life: Opportunity Knocking…

Saturday, July 08, 2017

Matt Espeut, GoLocalPDX Health +Lifestyle Contributor

We all have the same, but many people do not take advantage of the opportunities that are available to them. I returned home this week from a conference on the west coast and after every conference, whether it's about business, or exercise, I get fired up. I get fired up, because being around so many people with the same goals and mission as myself, gives me energy, motivation, and reprograms my mindset.

Many of these conferences have come coincidentally at a time when I am struggling, or experiencing some adversity, or setback in my business. Or when I have plans and ideas, but I’m not totally sure how to implement them. I attend usually look for new strategies to improve customer service, and grow my business. When I leave, I am never disappointed, because by being around a great group of people with different ideas and approaches, you figure a lot of things out, and get a lot of your questions answered. It gives you new perspective on not only business growth, but personal growth as well. It also lets you see who is successful, and who isn’t, and more importantly…. why.

Let me elaborate. Some Fit Body owners are extremely successful, and others aren’t, and being around everyone together and hearing their stories, I start thinking and analyzing their individual cases, and it gives me some clarity as to why some owners run multiple locations, and are killing it, and why some are struggling to make it with one. We all have the same resources, and coaches, which means we all have the same opportunity, so why are some hitting millionaire status, and others etching out a living? Here are a few reasons why. And there are lessons here for all of us.

Abundance vs. Scarcity Mindset

There is one owner named Matt (not me) that is absolutely killing it. This guy has 5 locations, and there is no stopping him. He keeps setting the bar higher and higher, and seems pretty much untouchable as far as I can see. He never stops, and never puts a ceiling on what he can accomplish. His goals are to never stop growing, and when you set goals like that and adhere to them, you won’t. That’s called an abundance mindset, and according to him, there will never be a cap on what he can accomplish.

No, everyone doesn’t have the same goals as he does, and that’s fine, just so you set your own goals and work towards accomplishing them. My grandfather grew up through the depression, and struggled most of his life. He went into the Navy, served this great country, and when he returned, got himself a good paying blue collar job. He worked his ass off his entire life, and was satisfied with a small cape for a house, and decent clothes on his back. He was in a much better place than he was growing up on the tough streets of Brooklyn, and therefore he was content with what he had, and always had the mindset that he wasn’t cut out to be an executive, or take control of the company he worked for. He was brought up with a scarcity mindset, and his thinking was that he always had enough. He had the same opportunity as some of the wealthy factory owners, and I don’t doubt he could outwork everyone else and do the same, but he wasn’t programed to think about abundance, and was grateful for the things he had - a great family, and a roof over his head.

Work Ethic

There are several owners, along with this Matt character who work 20 hours a day to get where they are. Although the opportunities are there for everyone to succeed, not everyone is willing to put the work in. And this makes a big difference. I was talking to another owner that stated, “Every time I reach my goals, I get content, and play golf more than I work”. Now I really like this guy, and he has potential to succeed because he is smart, and seems to be dialed in with his systems, but I was taken aback when we had this conversation. It’s not that he doesn’t put in the work, because he does, but when things are going well for him, he loses consistency, and you can’t do that and expect to take things to new levels. I get the fact that you need to step away and enjoy life, but not until the important tasks are done, and you are where you need to be. Playing golf instead of working won’t get you there.

Knowledge

I feel like this is my biggest obstacle on my path to success. I had lunch with a buddy of mine last week, and when we set up the appointment, I sent him a reminder from my google calendar. He replied to me, “Holy cow, this from a guy who could barely send an email 3 years ago. You’ve come a long way!” Understand that I dropped out of high school, worked my whole life in the trade business, and have zero business development experience. I didn’t know anything 3 years ago when I opened my gym, except that I was a great coach, and can outwork anyone. My tech skills are still lacking here and there, and I am still struggling to get my act together, and organize my team and systems to work efficiently. But I am constantly trying to learn new tricks, techniques, and work tirelessly on self-improvement. I am not using knowledge as an excuse, but the more I acquire, the better things get. And I don’t let lack of knowledge stop me. It has just slowed down my process. I always want to be a few years ahead of where I am, and sometimes I get frustrated but I am realistic, and know things will keep getting better as long as I keep trying and learning.

So it doesn’t matter what you are doing in life to become successful. It could be a weight loss or fitness journey. It could be trying to run a successful business. It could be trying out for the starting role in a play, or on a sports team. Whatever it is, just know that you have all the same opportunities as the person next to you who is doing it already. Yes, there are some factors along the way that may determine the time it takes you to reach the goal you set, but the opportunity is there, you just need to go after it.

Matt Espeut, GoLocal's Health & Lifestyle Contributor has been a personal trainer and health & fitnesss consultant for over 25 years.

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Fooducate

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