The other day I was leaving the mall in my truck. I’m sitting at an intersection waiting for a car who was stopped and waiting to go, when in fact she had no stop sign and so should have driven right through. I sat there patiently waiting for her to figure it out and when she did I started to move into the intersection. Then, out of nowhere ANOTHER car comes barrelassing up behind the car that just sent and nearly crashes into me. Now, this second car saw me, and was much further back, but as most people these days seem to do, she saw me and needed to make a point that “it was her right of way.” So I got mid intersection where she almost tee-boned me and looked right into her car. She was losing her shit!! I mean REALLY losing her shit. There was a teenage girl in the passenger side too. Oh, and did I mention it was a sunny 72 degrees here in Mid-February? A day that most people should feel Joyous and happy?
Our cars were not going fast enough to hurt anyone, and probably barely make a dent. All that happened was some inpatient lady with a chip saw that I was in HER intersection and so she SPED up to make a point that it was her right of way. She wasn’t there to see that myself and the person on the opposing side of me had been sitting there patiently waiting for the prior lady to move. But people in this world today are in such a rush, and totally addicted to being first so they can hurry up and finish. As if me being in that intersection costs her 2 full seconds of her life and in doing so would make her world crumble.
Flash forward 20 minutes later and I’m in the parking garage at Ikea. I drive a big Escalade SUV and so I try to find wide spaces to park. I’m ready to pull in and out of the corner of my eye I see a space 3 spaces closer to the front entrance……….so I stop my turn and drive further to the closest spot. Ummmmmmm, didn’t I essentially just do the same thing that lady did to me earlier? Granted I went about it differently but in a way it was the same thing. As if parking 3 spaces closer was going to save me any time at all. So it got me thinking………….why are we in such a hurry all of the time to “finish.”
I love standup comedy and this story reminded me of one of his bits. The comedian’s name is X and he’s kind of known as being the Albino looking good. If you know him, then when I say “Hot Pockeeeeeeettttssss” you’re laughing your ass off haha Anyway, he does a really funny bit about the gym and how he hates working out. How he likes to go on a treadmill but watch the person next to him’s TV lol But the funny part that reminds me of this goes something like:
“You ever see those guys at the gym who are all buff with no body fat and whose muscles are huge and glistening with sweat? Sometimes I want to just go up to those guys and say “Hey dude, what are you doing here……YOU’RE DONE!!” lol
As funny as that is, it actually makes a great point for my post this week. Think about why we go to the gym and why we work out so hard. Of course we have goals whether it be too loose weight, or gain muscle, or fix our cholesterol, BUT there really is never an “I’m done” moment right? Who would want that !?!?! We do these things for important goals for sure, but in addition it’s the workout that we are after too. NOT just the reward. So why the hell would we ever want to rush through a workout?
Now just substitute the word “Workout” with “Journey” or “LIFE” and read it one more time. Are you (like me) one of those people busting your ass to finish something JUST SO YOU CAN MOVE ONTO SOMETHING ELSE!?!?!? How’s that serving you ? I’ll tell you this, I haven’t felt like I was “DONE” with anything for probably 40 years !! lol Can you even remember a time when you sat on the couch and went “huh, that’s odd….I’m done and I have nothing else to do and nowhere to be.” If you get to that point than I am sorry to say that YOU’RE DEAD.” =(
Often when I write one of these posts (if not always) it comes from a personal place and something that I experienced that week. And I’ve been pretty transparent up until now with my posts so I why stop now haha. So last week I found myself in a dark rut that try as I may I could not climb out of. I was miserable and had NO reason to be. There was nothing I could point to and say “This is making me sad” or “This person is hurting me.” It was just a black cloud over my head that wouldn’t leave for 4 days. Then this whole incident with the crazy chick almost hitting me at the mall that got me thinking about time, the journey, the rush to try and finish when “finishing” isn’t the goal. Within a few hours I had a long list of changes I am going to start doing in my life and as of today most of them are implemented. Some are basic like new foods and natural supplements I started taking today. But some are out of the box for me and a couple I want to share just in case anyone reading this ever feels this way or knows someone who can relate.
First, I took myself off of Facebook for a while. It is amazing how the amount of time we spend on there can start to creep up. The constant need to look at your phone to see if there are any updates. So there’s 3 more hours to my day to start living!! lol
Second, I removed myself from all dating sites. When you email 100 people and 99 ignore you, it’s time to say “it ain’t working for you kid.” Lol As someone who believes deeply in the law of attraction and the vibration of energy, I have ZERO doubt that the constant rejection by 99% of the women I reached out to was definitely playing a part in my low vibration and energy. So poof, closed them all.
Third, and this was a big one, I stopped watching YouTube conspiracy documentaries. It’s like a drug, first you start with the JFK Conspiracy ones and before you know it you are watching the “Flat Earth Society” and all the folks who are warning of the Elites trying to take over the world and shrink the population to 500 million people worldwide (We currently sit at close to 9 billion). And don’t get me started on the ones about the cancer causing poisons in our food, water, clothes, toys, furniture, etc. etc. etc. By the end of every day I was finding myself exhausted, rejected, and scared to death of everything and anything that I ate, wore, or breathed. No wonder I felt like poop!
But the fourth thing is the one I want to share most. And this is something that I never thought I would be able to do. My research in how to get my center back brought to me a lot of people saying the mediation is the best thing you could ever do for your health, mood, and soul. Being someone who can’t shut his brain off, meditation never seemed to work for me. BUT I think I found a way for all of you type “A” personality people out there like me =) Read below and try it out because for the first time I finally felt like I may be able to do this!!!!
Here’s what I did. Do some or all of this and try it before making fun:
I created a dark room in my house. Under the stairs in the finished basement is a small crawl space about 4 feet high and 5 x 8 deep and wide. I covered all walls and ceilings with BLACK sheets and a shag black carpet. I got BLACK pillows and LOTS of blankets under the carpet to make it soft. I then got Aroma Therapy scents that do not have any light to them. I didn’t get the aroma therapy stuff for its chemical therapy because I am not sure I am there yet with regards to believing haha. I got them because I wanted a smell that would remind me of when I was a little boy with hardly any worries. For me that smell was/is Lilac bushes. I smell that and immediately find myself back on that one way street in NH where I lived when I was about 6 yrs. old.
Then, and THIS is by far the most “out of the box” thing I have ever tried in my life, I went and bought some Crystals and some Organite. Look it up and judge for yourself. It’s too new for me to even speculate whether this is real or fake so do your own research.
Finally, I found some meditation music and some guided mediations to listen to. If you believe in this stuff, then you don’t want to have your cell phone or any wireless devices near you. So for me I have regular headphones with a long wire and press play before I go into my room.
So I get this tiny little dark room under my basement stairs all finished and as I stand back I realize that what looks like a dark mediation room for me, may look like a kill room from an episode of DEXTER to someone else haha. But I used it and it worked!! I gave it 45 minutes and spent all of that time repeating to myself that “I WILL ENJOY THE JOURNEY, I WILL EXPERIENCE THE RIDE, AND I WILL NOT BE FINISHED FOR A LONG LONG TIME AND THAT IS A GOOD THING SO STOP RACING THROUGH LIFE!” My Mantra may be much different from yours, doesn’t matter. But if you’re like me and you need to find ways to stop rushing to the “next thing” than I highly suggest trying meditation. And don’t forget to look at what you do in a day and see what “non-helpful” things you can get rid of to make more time for the juice!!
“HI, my name is Jay and I am now a recovering over-doer who is learning that life is about me being able to slow down every so often even if it means I’m late getting to something else.” I plan to be around to dance with my grandchildren and I hope you are too!! Peace!!
Attached to this post is a harmonically mixed indoor cycling music set I put together with some of the best music from the last few months.
All you need to do is “Play It and Forget It.”
Below are a Spotify and iTunes playlist of some of the songs in this mix. I cannot include all the songs because some are not available on Spotify or iTunes.
Premium Members, follow the link below to download this new mix for FREE!!!!!
[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.
There's a new option for prospective Indoor Cycling Studio Owners to consider – purchasing a franchise license from a proven & profitable studio vs. creating a new business from scratch.
Studio owner Paul Harmeling with Full Psycle Indoor Cycling joins me to discuss the details of their new cycling studio franchise offering. I've really enjoyed the classes I've taken at his studios in Los Angles and Chicago – primarily because of how effectively those classes combined a non-traditional format, with solid performance based metrics.
Listen as Paul explains both the costs and benefits of starting and owning a Full Psycle Indoor Cycling Studio franchise – or the option for you to possibly re-brand an underperforming studio.
Paul is hosting a “discovery day” on March 23rd and 24th at his studios in LA for prospective Full Psycle franchisees. They'll be presenting the business opportunity, touring two of their studios and answering all of your questions. Please use the form below to pre-register.
This week I'm featuring a song that's been on repeat for me all week. It's starting to get more mainstream air time and it's playing like crazy on one of my favorite SiriusXM stations, The Pulse (channel 15). I've loved using Elle King's Ex's and Oh's from her album Love Stuff in my classes and now I'm loving America's Sweetheart. It has a country feel to it and parts of it remind me a bit of Mumford and Sons. At around 65 RPM's, I'm using this one as a climb. Jumps on a hill would not be out of the question either. 🙂 Enjoy and feel free to share any songs you've had on repeat lately. (Fun Fact: Did you know that Elle King is the daughter of comedian and SNL alum Rob Schneider?)
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.
We've got another election year here in the USA. Based on what I see on my Facebook feed, I get the sense that there's a few Instructors* out there that might be thinking, OH GOODY! I've got a captive group of people riding in front of me. My “peeps” see me as a leader. It's my job to “educate” them so they vote properly!
It's my belief that there's nothing better at destroying your class' sense of unity, than injecting politics.
So if you're tempted to sit there front/center and extol the virtues of some candidate (or criticise another) during a recovery, might I suggest that you consider these five reasons why you shouldn't?
#5 It's unprofessional behavior.
You're paid as an Instructor to conduct a cycling or fitness class – not to convert people politically as a political pundit. A true Fitness Professional would never discuss politics during the course of conducting their class. They understand exactly their role in the studio and understand politics isn't in their job description.
How would you feel if your doctor, accountant, mechanic, hair stylist, or other Professional (whom you're paying for a service) began to lecture you about the evils of a particular politician? One you happen to admire and plan to vote for this fall?
Fitness Professionals also understand that they represent the club or studio where they teach. As a representative, anything you say or do could reflect poorly on the business. So just don't go there.
As the owner or manager of an Indoor Cycling Studio, do you think that a friendly preemptive reminder to all of your employees might be helpful?
#4 It's disrespectful to your riders.
People are inundated by politics near constantly during election season. Unless you go completely off-grid, you really can't avoid the constant poll results, he said/she said breathlessly reported ad nauseam on TV, radio and the Internet.
At some level, most (if not all) of your riders participate in your class as an escape from the real world. Don't ruin their hour of aerobic bliss, by mouthing off about income inequality, social security, pipelines or other non-sense. Your class has no interest in hearing it and you'll only wreck their workout… and probably not see them again 🙁
#3 You'll instantly alienate half your class when you open your mouth.
The US is politically split approximately 50/50 between Republicans and Democrats. So it defies explanation why any rational* person would purposely choose to insult the political beliefs of 50% of their class, by publicly taking one political position over another. Seriously, why would you ever do that?
OK, I realise that there are some who couldn't care less who they alienate by mindlessly parroting what they've heard or read – please show your Professional independence by not being one of them 🙂
#2 They'll “unfriend” you.
I'm not specifically referring to unfriending someone on Facebook, although I guess I could be. I'm certainly not against dumping a FB “friend” who's frequently posting stupid stuff about politics. What I'm referring to is the damage you can do to a relationship by needlessly introducing conflict .
Think about the last you were lectured by a friend or acquaintance about something you disagreed with. How did it make you feel? Did you leave feeling like you'd be excited to talk with him or her again?
#1 I'm not stupid, nor am I uninformed or uneducated, so don't treat me like I am.
My number one reason why you should leave politics out of your class; it's insulting and demeaning to lecture other adults about pretty much anything, especially things political. There a very good reason that you, yourself, have felt insulted when this happens. You're being told (no matter how nicely) that if you disagree, you're simply wrong … and they're right.
But it isn't just that you are mistaken, like you turned left, when you should have veered right. No, you feel insulted because the act of lecturing is about power. The lecturer has asserted a position of dominance over you, attempting to make you feel small. How do you respond in a situation like this? Does it make you feel valued and/or respected?
But what if a participant brings up politics first?
Refer to #1, regardless of you're in agreement or not.
I have to compliment the personal trainer of the boot camp I was at this past Saturday. One participant made a number of political comments, that he initially ignored. Sensing the guy wasn't getting the hint, he said very politely; “this is a politics free zone” – smiled and disengaged from the conversation. That was all it took.
*This might not describe you… however you probably know a few Instructors who it does. Please feel free to share this article with them, before they irreparably damage their relationship with their participants.
