The Future is You!

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the 2010 IHRSA convention in San Diego. Let me tell you San Diego is a little piece of paradise, and now I know why everyone wants to live in Southern California. Well, maybe not everyone! Anyway, that being said, I am not really here tonight to talk about how much I loved San Diego but to talk to you about the theme of the convention, “The Future is You.” As of this writing we are waiting to see if the government is going to step in and change the health care system as we no it. Most of you know where I stand on that issue but I want to get back to the light bulb that went off in my head when I thought about the theme of the IHRSA convention. Regardless of where you stand on the health care debate, my view is, if change is going to happen it is going to come from you. Yes, you the fitness professional! So, if you want to be part of the revolution and change here is what you need to do.

1.) Invest in yourself – I know with the internet it is easier to get information and knowledge but I recommend that you should go to a convention at least once a year and learn from the experts. Another reason I think going to a convention is a great investment is you tend to come away recharged and regenerated. Being around motivated and optimistic fitness professionals helps you get back your motivation and reminds you of why you chose this career.

2.) Quit going after everyone – Pick a niche and become an expert in that area. Too many times I see personal trainers trying to be everything to everyone. If athletics gets your blood boiling become a strength coach. If weight loss is your thing become an expert on nutrition and psychology. I made the early mistake as a young personal trainer and wanted to be a personal trainer for everyone. It was through a natural course of time and soul searching that I have finally settled into being on the business side of fitness.

3.) Be passionate – If you do not have a burning desire to help people then this profession is not for you. Also, if you do not have passion your actions will show and you will continuously struggle to retain clients. Search long and hard and understand that this profession is challenging and will take a lot of energy to succeed, so if you lack passion get out now.

As I left San Diego I realized one thing and if this country is going to see real health reform is is up to me and you!

Do you have what it takes to win a gold medal?

We are a week into the 21st Winter Olympic Games and once again the games always give me inspiration and motivation to become better. I love the story lines and when you see the athletes accomplish what they set out to do you can’t help but to feel good and inspired to go out and do something. My question for you today is, “Do you have what it takes to win a gold medal?” I know you are saying to yourself, “I am not an Olympic athlete, so why do I care if I have what it takes to win gold. Well, I look at life and goals as a contest or game. I am sorry but I do not believe in the notion that everyone gets a trophy. You either accomplish your goal or you do not. Simple! So, if you buy into this philosophy  of what it take to win gold you will want to see what it takes. Here is what I believe it takes to win gold in life?

Dream – Every Olympic athlete has a dream of standing on the podium, wearing a gold medal, and hearing their national anthem play. They have this dream as a kid and play it over and over in the mind until it because reality. What are your dreams? If you do not have a dream you are missing the key ingredient to success.

Focus –  After listening to all the athletes and their stories the one thing that I continue to hear over and over again is that they have unbelievable focus. Their goal is to win gold and they do everything to reach that goal. They do not get distracted by all the noise out there. Focus on what you want to accomplish and filter out the noise.

Perseverance –  Another common attribute that Olympic athletes portray is that they consistently overcome setbacks and failures. Whether it is injury, failure, or just some bad luck the most common theme amongst them is constant  persistent and determination to push through the pain and failures to reach that dream.

So, do yourself a favor and over the next week of the games watch and study the athletes. Listen to their stories and then, ask yourself, “what are your dreams, what kind of focus do you have, and finally, make yourself persevere to achieve your goal.

Why I chose Nutrilite

Several people have asked me why I chose to endorse and sell Nutrilite products on my site. Well, the simple answer is because I fell in love with one of their protein bars. To be exact it is the Chocolate Nut Roll bar that I love. Now, I know some of you are saying that it must have a ton of sugar in it for it to be good. Well, I am not going to lie to you it does have sugar in it but according to the product comparison chart the nut roll has less sugar  than the Power Bar. Remember, if you are working out then the sugar should off set itself, so my disclaimer is that you should not just eat any protein bar and not have the exercise to back it up.

Okay, another reason why I am endorsing Nutrilite is their history and reputation. The company has been around since 1934. After 75 years of business I felt comfortable offering the products on my site knowing that Nutrilite was not just some start up company that could go out of business.

My final reason for endorsing and offering the Nutrilite products on my site comes down to the science and research that is put into their products. Nutrilite from the beginning strived to study how to extract the proper nutrients from plants in order to get the best nutrients into their products. As the company grew they developed the Nutrilite Health Institute , so that they can continue to provide the best products possible to the public.

Please do me a favor and do your own research but if you are looking for some great dietary supplements then check out my site www.davemcgarry.com and click on the nutrition link. If you want to go directly to the site to order products click on this link.

If you have any questions about any of the products please send me an email or leave me a comment.

Have you made many Resolutions for 2010?

Have you made many resolutions for 2010? Is this the year that you are going to stick to those resolutions you made? Now, most people make resolutions but few keep them. Why? Well, with it being the New Year the intention and determination is there to change but people fail because of two reason.  One, the lack of specific goals and two, is the lack of a plan to achieve those goals.

First, let’s talk about goals. Saying that you are going to make more money or get more clients is not specific. What you need to do is state specifically how much more money do you want to make. As for getting more clients, how many? The goal needs to be specific and measurable. Once you have your goals formulated you need to write them down. I hear from personal trainers all the time that I have them in my head. Sorry, if it is not written down on paper it is not a goal. Writing it down creates a record of what you want to achieve and there is no way of disputing what your goals are if they are written down.

The second step to achieve success is to create a plan. When you have your goals written down you need to break them down into smaller steps. For instance if you said you wanted to increase your income by 10% then step 1 might be to get one new client a week (52 by year end). Another might be to do more group training. The important thing here is to break the larger goal into smaller steps to ultimately lead to the larger goal. Oh, and one more important thing to add here is you need a time table and deadline. This was something I neglected to do for  long time but once I set a deadline I began to notice my success in accomplishing my goals increased.

Okay, do me a favor and take some time and sit down and implement these two tips into your New Year’s resolutions and see yourself accomplish more this year than in years past! Make 2010 the best year ever!

10 great happenings from last year cont…

Earlier in the week I posted the 10 Great Happenings from Last Year and today I want to write the second part to that post. Doing this exercise was very rewarding to me because I realized that no matter how bad the economy seemed at times this past year many great things happened in my life. I hope that is true with you as well. If you have never done this exercise I suggest you take 30 minutes out of your day and write down at least 10 great happenings from last year. Okay, here is my list:

1.) Published my first book “Anatomy of Sales”

2.) Launched my website and business www.davemcgarry.com

3.) Took a vacation trip to Sanibel Island with my wife

4.) Sold my first 50 books

5.) Had my first online book purchase on ClickBank

6.) First Family trip to Sea World

7.) Won a four day all paid conference trip to the fitness industries biggest trade show

8.) Promoted to Assistant GM of the Cooper Fitness Center at Craig Ranch

9.) Asked by the publisher of Club Industry to write articles for them in 2010

10.) Took 4 family trips in 2009

Every time I look at this list it makes me feel good because when I look back to what I wanted to accomplish this year I accomplished most of my goals. So, after you have your list of 10 great things the next step is to write down 5  lessons you learned from last year. This exercise will be important towards setting your 2010 goals. Okay, go write down your 5 lessons learned and we will talk about those lessons and how to use that information towards creating your best year ever in 2010.

Coach Dave