What does success look like in the business of bodies?
Is it tied to money? Or freedom? Or number of students or followers? How does this perception of success tie into your life? What effects does your work have on your own body?
Simple. Succes is health. Social, emotional, and physical health. The health of others and myself. Health is not a means to an end and is not a business plan for making money and prestige.
[As a massage therapist] my hands often suffer in a minor way and so I get treatment. But my work definitely is very healing for me psychologically and it helps an old intellectual like me stay body centered. — Jim Freda
Success in the fitness industry is when we as coaches can help people learn and understand how to use principles to achieve the goals they want to pursue while encouraging agency and autonomy. — anonymous
– can i provide for my family from my business without compromising my morals?
– can I share what I do and find engagement from interested folks without manipulating them into doing something they don’t actually want to do (so basically avoiding all modern marketing strategies)?
If I can meet both of these criteria then I’m pretty stoked with my success 🙂 — Craig Mallett
To me, success is defined by:
- the success of my clients, which I define as their ability to do what they want to do, when they want to do it
- the success of my students, which I define as their ability to implement concepts I have shared, utilizing the ideas in their own work
- financial freedom, which I define as having enough money to pay my bills and do the things I want to do (which is mostly just learn more movement stuff)
Success in the fitness industry at first thought seems to have a clear definition for me. If you are allowing your clients to walk towards their goals with no or minimum injuries/setbacks, I would say the system itself is successful.
But lately I have realised this is what I expect from myself. I have no idea what the industry wants to do. Probably make money (which initially was not even in my success definition) or maybe create some new way to be fit. This makes me think that the success in the fitness industry is all about the goals of the people. If you have a clear goal and you reach it, you are successful are you not? Even if that goal is to burn all the trees in the world, if you actually reach it, you are considered successful. Sadly.
Being or rather feeling successful has always been so complicated in my life. I have not yet felt it fully and completely. This is mainly because I have never had certain specific goals or aims. I mostly did what felt right to me and went with the flow. Always surprised at where I have ended. I always did my best, yet it did not feel like I was successful. Made money, traveled, finished first in school, won competitions but still did not feel it. I thought this was because I was comparing myself with others. Or just maybe deep down I thought I was just not good enough to be considered successful. Both a bit true, but not the real point. To be successful I need to aim, have a goal. Keep at it. Water it, make it grow, be aware that I am working towards it, be sure that it is what I want deep down. And then eventually when it happens it becomes success on its own. I am maybe still not successful. But what I did is success itself. — Selen Gurmen
Success in this industry is to not get consumed by this industry. It is to have time. It is getting to continue, in a manner and path and pace you wish to take. Getting to communicate what you have learned to curious and seeking others… that is just icing on the cake. — Chris Ruffolo
[Feature Photo by Lance Grandahl on Unsplash.]