How to be a Successful Person
I woke up this morning and looked at myself in the mirror – I wanted to double check that I wasn't LA skinny (read my last blog about this weird LA phem HERE). Check, nothing to be worried about, I'm still huge. I also hoped to find out what my next blog should be about. Texas getting their asses kicked? No one wants to read about that crapola. Opening day of dove season? Too many tree hugging responses about shooting the “bird of peace,” but it's ok to “buy” organic grass fed beef- what's the difference? All of a sudden it hit me; how to be a successful personal trainer! I let it resonate, and then realized it was too specific. Everyone is always searching for ways to be the best teacher, doctor, lawyer, etc. Why not focus on the fundamentals that make people successful in general? Bingo. How to be a successful person. Now I just need Rob Base to come in for a second and yell, “HIT IT!” Ok, we're ready.
There are many definitions of the word success, how about, “The attainment of wealth, position, or honors.”- Boring and too elitist. Does, “The opposite of failure” apply? I like this, but what is considered a failure? Person A gets cut from a basketball team and thinks he's a failure, while Person B considers “just trying out for the team” a success. How can getting “cut” be a failure and a success at the same time? Which leads me to the definition I prefer, “The favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors.” Succinctly put, a happy ending with your own goals achieved.
Step 1: Set your own goals to measure success.
What type of person are you?
In life, success lies within the eye of the beholder. Ohh snap, Chris is getting deep! No matter what you do, success is something YOU determine. Some may view Avatar as the most successful movie of all time- it's the highest grossing film ever. Others may argue and say a movie challenging obsolete viewpoints, such as Roots, is more successful. In my opinion, Ace Ventura II is the most successful movie, because it made me laugh throughout the film! Who woulda ever thought that Avatar, Roots, and Ave Ventura II would be considered films of equal value? HA, leave it to Chris! Let's not get into a movie debate but; success is a perceptual issue.
With that being said, I firmly believe that successful people have common characteristics. It would be hard to debate that Martin Luther King Jr., John Wooden, Temple Grandin, Ghandi, and Bill Gates, are not successful individuals. I believe that they all have, or had, a powerful distinctiveness that allowed them to preserver- they're each successful in their own ways. I'm an acronym type of guy and so I developed the following: HELP NICK. Think of NICK as every human. If you possess SOME of these characteristics, success will be achieved: Hunger, Experience, Love & Laughter, Passion, Nice, Intelligence, Concocky, and KISS.
Hunger
What if I were to text you (let's be honest, calling someone is like the old Razor phones, or paging- so yesteryear) to explain you've just won a date with _______________ (Fill in the blank) tomorrow at 3pm. You'd be clinically insane (diagnosed by my father), if you'd pass on this once in a life time opportunity. You'd come up with the newest fad sickness to call into work, or if you wanted to be responsible (booo), you'd work extra hard to finish everything in time for the date! Where is this hunger to be successful? Why not take this approach with every day that is given to us? Some of the most successful people I've met in my life have a hunger that is insatiable. Hungry people are the ones I want training under Show Up Fitness.
Experience
I'm not talking about sexual experience. But let's address the one armed kangaroo in the room. Ladies, when you start pulling all of the freaky tricks out of the bag within the first few dates, were not thinking this is the girl we want to bring home to mom- save the ball and chain stuff for at least month two. J I'm talking about life experience. Are you able to live and learn from your experiences? I don't care if you have 20 years of experience; have you grown as a person? I like to think that I've developed as a person because I allow myself to learn from my mistakes. If you continue to repeat the same life experiences, you may want to ask yourself, “Why do these things keep happening to me?” Ignorance is not knowing. Stupidity is willfully making the same mistakes over and over again. Learn from your experiences; don't be stupid.
Love & Laughter
Love of another is just as important as loving one's self. If you don't love yourself, you're writing the perfect recipe for failure. The foundation for success begins with love. The most successful people that I know laugh a lot, and have lots of love. Whether it's with a significant other, family, or even that of a dog; love is everywhere! If you're lacking love, get a dog. If people in the world were to love one another the way a dog loves his owner; happiness would be everywhere. One of the hardest things to do is not smile when you're greeted with a friendly wag of the tail after a long day at work. No matter the situation, unconditional love is coming your way. Seriously, how do dogs do it? When was the last time you saw a dog have a “bad day?” It's ridiculous how inspiring dogs are. Imagine what your lover would do if you gave him or her the same damn meal for 10 years? They'd be off sniffing someone else's underwear- definitely not yours (sorry for the weird imagery, I had to maintain the dog analogy!) This never happens with dogs. They love you no matter what! You could have explosive diarrhea and the result is the same, hugs and kisses. Let's inspire to love more like our dogs.
Passion (WARNING, VULGARITY AHEAD)
This image says it all with one word, “Passion.” Let it be known, that this MEME was already made- I came across it one day looking for quotes on passion. I'd be willing to bet this kid's image completely and utterly sucks. I'm not negative, let's be honest, we both know it sucks! The category of the day could be to draw an animal. His “dog drawing” looks more like a big pile of crap than any dog we've ever seen. Besides that fact, look at his facial expressions; he has passion! When was the last time you tackled one of life's tasks with the furry and passion like this youngster has? If we showed up to work every day with the same amount of excitement he has for his drawing, the world could possibly be a better place! This brings me to the famous story of the two masons. When they were asked about their jobs, one said, “My job sucks, I lay brick all damn day.” While the other worker exuberantly explained, “I freaking love my job! I'm laying brick for Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel!” That story is probably 100% inaccurate, but you get the point- it's in the eye of the beholder!
Nice
Nice people finish last; not true. People who let others walk over them are unfairly characterized as being nice. Holding a door open for someone holding 3 cups of coffee, is nice. Putting a flower on a random person's window, is nice. Paying a person's toll behind you when you're crossing a bridge, is nice. Making an unexpected visit to an old person home, is nice. Sending flowers to your lover, is nice. Training a group of special needs kids, is nice. I'm nice. Try to walk over me; there'll be a coffee stain on your shirt, and a cowboy boot up your ass. The world needs more nice people.
Intelligence
You don't need a college degree to be intelligent- it doesn't hurt you to have this as a goal for yourself. A desire to learn as much as you can is noteworthy. Taking classes at colleges, attending seminars, listening to podcasts, picking the brains of wise people, reading boobs, I mean books, is intelligent. The desire to fulfill the urge to know as much as possible before we turn into dirt is intelligent. Don't be stupid, be intelligent. Put down your damn phone and read a boob, dammit, I mean book!
Concocky
My favorite; concocky. Image a scale from 0 – 10. O being insecure and passive. 10 being cocky. 5 would be confident. Concocky is a 7. It's a healthy dose of confidence and is a common trait I find in most successful people. Thinking your better than everyone is arrogant and possibly, cocky. That's not what I'm suggesting. Knowing you can give it 100% and go toe to toe with anyone, no matter the situation, is concocky.
Step 2: Believe in yourself & Practice self love.
KISS
Keep it simple and smile. Stop over-analyzing what success is to you, and focus on helping others succeed. People are so caught up in themselves that they forget what success is- it's found on helping others. What if dogs spent the majority of their lives concerned about themselves- they'd suck just like the majority of humans do. Lucky for us, they don't. If you believe that success can be found by helping others, you'll soon discover what is truly successful. I challenge you to help others and most importantly, wag your tail and SMILE more.
Here are my goals for the rest of the year to be successful:
1. Find a location for Show Up Fitness in Santa Monica. (Since I wrote this on Monday, this has been completed. Signed documents today)
2. Offer free training once a week to a group of people: Conquering the top 10 stairs in LA or Conquering the top 10 hikes in LA. Whose in?
3. Step out of my comfort zone and try something new.
4. Get a new specialization (certification, go back to school: Master's/ RD? hmmm)
5. Get involved with the community of Santa Monica and donate my time to help others. Time is short. I spend too much of it thinking about my selfish ass. Time to give back and help more.