I've been doing a lot of things lately to help with my Health and Fitness (both mental and physical health) and today had an epiphany………at least for me lol
I happen to put on the Secret in the background while I worked. If you read earlier posts, I have given up listening to conspiracy documentaries and so I need something to replace that with. haha And although I have watched or listened to the secret 50 times, I can honestly say I have never watched it with this same insight and understanding of my current situation and so I feel as though this time I may get something new from the experience =)
So it gets to the part where Jack Canfield mentions his $100,000 check that he manifests and how he “had the idea while getting out of the shower.” This time though, that part of the movie spoke to me. And so I want to describe why and then attempt to tie it into being an instructor.
One of my big “Musts” for this year and all future years is to create a lifestyle of less financial stress, a more youthful energy and healthier body, and to find a way to spend more time with my kids and doing what I love. I know, I know, that's EVERY BODIES musts haha Maybe so, but I really think that as I have aged, my definition of all those things differ greatly from what I used to think and probably even MORE from what most people (especially younger) would say to define the things on my list. With age comes experience and with experience comes knowledge. If only it was reversed haha
Anyway, back to what happened for me when I heard him describe that “Out of shower experience.” It hit me that what I am going through in this very moment is what can (and Will) propel me to the things that I want, or will at least help me attain them. You see, I have wanted to be a public speaker for over 25 years. I literally would attend work conferences over a weekend and when most people skipped most speakers, I went out of my way to sit thru half of one, just so I could catch the second half of another. I would study them and how they spoke. I'd look for what worked for them and when people became engaged, AS WELL AS when they dis-engaged. I was convinced that it was my path !! But at the age of 45, the only speaking I get to do is to my kids when doing story time, OR to my class when I teach. Very fulfilling, but not ultimately what I think of when I dream of being a speaker.
One of the things, if not THE thing that has stopped me from going out and doing this is complete lack of confidence in this area. NOT lack of confidence in speaking, not at all. All I do is talk and I have a million stories and ideas !!! It's the lack of confidence in my ability to convince someone that I know what the hell I am taking about !! Why would someone listen to me and believe I have the answer to anything (is the words that echo in my head when I think of trying to visualize this as a career for me). And for YEARS I would tell myself “Jay you just need a story. Something bad has to happen to you that you overcome and THEN people will believe you have a clue.” Thoughts of getting cancer and beating it, or surviving a Plane crash, or even a hostage situation is ALL that I need to get peoples attention !!! I know, CRAZZZZZZYYYY !! lol
Then in 2008 the financial meltdown happened and I lost everything. Suddenly almost overnight everything I believed about my ability to be successful in business was gone. I tried for years to get hired back at what I used to do before starting my business but no one would hire me. Gained weight, stopped putting myself out there, and pretty much stopped believing I could recover. The “Motivational Speaker” dream suffered it's first serious blow.
Flash forward to two years ago and without wasting time on the details, let's just say that when I was FINALLY getting my feet back under me and starting to believe I could recapture the person I once thought I could be, life dealt me another major blow and this one was worse. My whole belief system on trust and love and commitment completely imploded and this turned me into someone who literally found myself saying “What's the fucking point??” DO NOT mis-read that !! I wasn't suicidal, not even close !! I was more of the feeling that why build up too many hopes and dreams because the Universe is gonna dish up whatever it dishes up and you just got to sit there and eat it. I mean when the person you gave everything to and who you trusted more than anyone ever on this earth shows you that you DO NOT matter overnight, it's kind of hard to look at the people around you that didn't play nearly as crucial a role in your life and assume they are going to do any better at being a true friend/partner/spouse, etc. So basically I have been fighting my way back for almost two years to a place where I want to believe that anything is STILL possible and want to give up on the negative baggage that I have carried for WAY too long !!
So now that you know the back story, I can tell you my “Big Epiphany” haha I have decided that my Journey, or my ROAD TO RECOVERY, is going to be my story !!! In a way, killing two birds with one big ass stone !!! I am going to take everything I am doing over the last month (You have to go read earlier posts if you want to know what I'm doing) and I am going to get myself to a place SO SUCCESSFUL that someone is going to ask how I did that and THEN not only will have have the end result to show them, I will ALSO have the road map I took to get there ! So NOW I will have the story to present to people, NOW I will have the story to write in books, NOW I will have the proof that I not only believed in the things that I read and practiced but I also DID those things and THAT is how and why I am happier, healthier, and have MY KIND of wealth which oddly enough doesn't consist of airplanes and yachts but instead looks more like a family life where we all go to bed with a warm blanket, full bellies, all bills being paid, and 3 to 4 weeks of family vacation. That is wealth to me these days.
The reason this whole plan speaks to me in conjunction with us as instructors is that we all teach or instruct based mostly on whatever format we were trained. We all use charts for Zone, BPM for heart rate, and so on. I would also bet that we all throw in a little of our own nuggets of knowledge too. If you're a triathlete or professional cyclist on the side than maybe what you add is something technical. If you're a story teller like me than maybe you add a quote that inspires someone to sprint harder. Who knows. But I ask you this……….are you sharing enough “nuggets” ?? Think outside the box on that one. Do you finish class and over hear someone telling their friend about an issue that you have been through and one which you could provide insight ? I mean, sure we always get the person asking “what do I do if my calf cramps up” and we have to answer those. But how many missed opportunities are there each class where you could spot something you have experience in and solve that problem just by showing this person “you've been there and this is how I fixed it.” ?????? It could be something in how they peddle, something in how they breath, or maybe even something more personal like parenting or spousal issues. I'm not sure when we gave up the reigns to facebook for solving every ones problems but I can tell you from experience that the best advise is hearing it face to face from someone who has been there and has the scars to prove it. Now go give out some NUGGETS !! Peace.
I teach indoor cycling at multiple facilities in the Denver area but I spend most of my work week at Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club. Greenwood is my “home club”. This is where I'm a personal trainer, teach indoor cycling, HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) classes, CVI (Cardio Vascular Interval Training) classes, I've been a Master Swim Team coach, a Triathlon Team coach, I'm one of the Race Directors for the annual Tri-Our-Village Kids Triathlon and the Roadless Century Coach and Lead for the annual Roadless Ride fundraiser to benefit Brent's Place.
Greenwood is considered one of the best athletic clubs in the country. They do a lot of things VERY well. The facility is kept immaculately clean, they have the latest and greatest equipment and vast and diverse group exercise program with some of the best instructors in the Denver area. I could go on and on about what they do well, but there are plenty of facilities that are clean, big and have plenty of offerings, let's talk about something they do differently.
Greenwood is the only facility that I have every worked in that has, PAID, semi annual ALL STAFF meetings. There are some things that cannot be expressed in an e-mail or newsletter. There is something powerful and unifying about the ENTIRE staff gathering TOGETHER hearing the EXACT SAME message coming directly from the facility owner and general manger.
Our first All Staff meeting of 2016 took place last Thursday. The most exciting announcement, for me, was replacement of our Spinner Blade Ion indoor cycling bikes with the new Stages SC3 bike. This will take our, already stellar, indoor cycling program to a whole new level!!!!!!! I felt the most memorable segment of this meeting was when the video I've posted below was played. Watch, listen and know that your actions are powerful.
Below, Premium Members can read a detailed description of this Class Profile, download a printable Class Profile that can be used in class, read a detailed description of the Power Based Training Zones and download a printable Power Postcard.
[wlm_private ‘PRO-Platinum|PRO-Monthly|PRO-Gratis|PRO-Seasonal|Platinum-trial|Monthly-trial|PRO-Military|30-Days-of-PRO|90 Day PRO|Stages-Instructor|Schwinn-Instructor|Instructor-Bonus|28 Day Challenge']
Premium Members can download this mix for free by following the links below:
[wlm_private ‘PRO-Platinum|PRO-Monthly|PRO-Gratis|PRO-Seasonal|Platinum-trial|Monthly-trial|PRO-Military|30-Days-of-PRO|90 Day PRO|Stages-Instructor|Schwinn-Instructor|Instructor-Bonus|28 Day Challenge']
Right Click on the blue underlined link
Select “Download Linked File As”
Select a download location
Once file is completely downloaded, find it in the location you selected
Drag the file into your iTunes or Spotify library OR
Right Click on the file and Select “Open With”
From the drop down menu select “iTunes” or “Spotify”
File should begin playing and is now part of your iTunes or Spotify library
To download the above media on a PC:
Right Click on the blue underlined link
Select “Save Link As”
Select a download location
Once file is completely downloaded, find it in the location you selected
Drag the file into your iTunes or Spotify library OR
Right Click on the file and Select “Open With”
From the drop down menu select “iTunes” or “Spotify”
File should begin playing and is now part of your iTunes or Spotify library Click here to watch a video on how to download media files from ICI/Pro.
So this weeks post is going to be more of an “update” to last weeks. Hopefully you read my story last week about searching for things to introduce into my daily routine, as well as REMOVE stuff from the Daily routine so that I can lift my energy and vibration in this world =) So I have a one week progress report and a quick analogy I came up with for “What Meditation is for me.”
So first of all, the hardest past has been to remember to take all of those damn supplements every morning. Fish oils, Herbs, Drops, etc etc etc. Ugh. I wonder if this is truly as much a pain as I am making it out to be, OR if we (society) is just SOOOOO conditioned to strip out the processes of every day things into one FAST and Quick step. Could I be annoyed by having to pick through 4 bottles and 2 droppers every day to take my supplements because a part of me is saying in the background “Go get a one time monthly shot” or “Find a pill that has everything in one.” Who knows, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I dread every morning having to go and take all that stuff haha Maybe I’m just lazy haha
But I have done a decent job at staying away from YouTube and negative documentaries on the economy and our corrupt government =)
Still very much into wearing the Crystals and have started to place others around the house. No way of telling if that is helping BUT if you are interested in hearing something a little “supernatural” that happened than direct message me and I will share something pretty mind blowing =)
By far though what has been the most fun and interesting has been the Meditation !! As I said in my post last week, mediation has always been hard for me because I can’t shut down my brain. So I made a dark room under my basement stairs and have been listening to “3D Guided Meditation” recordings and it is blowing me away !! Can’t say I have had any changes yet in my overall mood/vibration but I am definitely not only learning how to meditate BUT am also finding out that I don’t have to “Shut my brain” to meditate, I only need to focus the chatter to more specific thing(s). Let me try to explain with my analogy of how I have started to look at meditation. Maybe there are people like me reading this who never really fully understood meditations process and maybe this will help. Maybe I am way off base with what it is, but this is what has helped me so there must be some truth to it =)
So here is how I kind of see my day/life in “Analogy” format haha I imagine that I am in this VERY large conference room with lets say 100 people all looking at me and talking to me about 100 different topics. Can you imagine just how confusing and stressful that would be ? I feel like the number has grown over the years too lol But we (society) all do out best to listen, answer, and record as much of that barrage of information throw at us all day right !! No wonder we are so stressed we have forgotten how to relax.
So when someone mentioned mediation to me years ago, I was like “there’s no way” that I could do it. My mind was thinking about the 100 people in the conference room all trying to tell me 100 different stories, and NOW I am expected to go sit in a corner and ignore those 100 people and try to shut off my brain ??!! Impossible haha.
Now let’s imagine that towards the end of the day, or first thing in the morning, or even mid day, all of those people start to funnel out of the room to give you some peace and quite. Would it be a bit easier to meditate ?? You bet your ripped sexy ass it would be (all spinners have tight asses right?? LOL)
So that was my first step/process that I implemented. I made sure to find the best time for me to meditate. Rather than try and squeeze it in any ole place, I chose to do it at night before bed and after the kids are asleep. This is the best time for me, but for you it could be totally different. The point is though to fit it in where it works best and don’t try to FORCE it when you know you can’t empty the conference room lol I mean LITERALLY Imagine your thoughts are a conference room and if that chatter is too loud, then choose a better time.
So I found the second step by mistake. I did a great job at finding the best time to do this (Late at night) and I have total darkness from the Black Room under the stairs (creeeeepy lol). And as you recall, I even put Lilac sent in that room to remind me of my childhood because of the big lilac bush at our hour that bloomed each summer. Anyway, what happened was I did such a great job at “Clearing the conference room” that I found myself in this empty “Conference Room” with nothing to say and no one to talk to =( I was lost haha So, metaphorically speaking” I invited one person back in, and I had a conversation. Let me leave it at that because I could go on for pages and pages about what worked for me, but that has no baring on what may help you. Bottom line is, if you’re like me than try some of these ideas when you get to that point of focus and clarity, invite in one of those thoughts (people) and have a conversation. If it’s health, talk health. Repeat words that give you power ! Flash images in your mind of the people you love, or the faces of your kids. What ever the topic is for that mediation, go ahead and create an image of a person and just have a conversation !! It’s amazing what it can do. Basically it’s free therapy haha
I’m going to keep my post short this week because 1. I have family in town till tomorrow and 2. I am just beginning my spiritual journey and I don’t have proven results just yet. So rather than steer someone wrong, I think it best if I just throw out little bits and let you start experimenting on your own.
As far as tying this all into spinning, I can pretty much sum it up like this. The Spin room is the “Conference Room” in my Analogy and even though the people in our Spin room aren’t (supposed) to be verbally talking to you, they ARE talking to you. The majority of our communication is said to be non verbal, so be sure you are reading the signs ! Look for someone struggling and figure out why ! Find someone juiced and happy about life EVERY TIME YOU SEE THEM and ask why so that you can (if you haven’t already) be as happy or happier !!! Look for someone riding in an awkward position and make sure they aren’t fighting thru an injury they aren’t aware of. If my definition of Meditation is even close to right, and so far it’s working for me so it must be on the right track, than our classes are a great place to meditate. A Great way to exchange energy, power, ideas, Vibration !! A great place to practice finding our focus, and creating better ways of pulling our heads out of Facebook and all other Social Media so that we can connect with the people around us. Because you don’t have to like everyone in this life, but I have always believed that every person has at least one important thing to share with you from their Journey that can help you with yours.
Below, Premium Members can read a detailed description of this Class Profile, download a printable Class Profile that can be used in class, read a detailed description of the Power Based Training Zones and download a printable Power Postcard.
[wlm_private ‘PRO-Platinum|PRO-Monthly|PRO-Gratis|PRO-Seasonal|Platinum-trial|Monthly-trial|PRO-Military|30-Days-of-PRO|90 Day PRO|Stages-Instructor|Schwinn-Instructor|Instructor-Bonus|28 Day Challenge']
