Accelerate Your Results By Asking For Help
Today we’re going to discuss a topic that came up a lot from athletes on recent phone calls: asking for help. If you are a formerly-competitive athlete, you know this is not one of our fortes… "I got it, coach." "I can do it myself." "It's okay, I can figure it out." "Don't worry, I've got it." "No, I'm good, thanks." Maybe when you were actually competitive, you were like me as a kid and didn’t need help because you let your talent carry you until you cracked. Sometimes we’re even taught that if we ask for help, it’s a sign of weakness.
I remember one time a few years ago after I decided to leave my desk job, I joined LA Fitness. Not because I really liked the gym or wanted to get a pump or anything, but because I felt like since I was a trainer, that I was supposed to be a part of a gym and train the way a personal trainer does. Secret, I actually CRIED during my first meeting with the membership advisor because she was so pushy. I actually complained. Sorry not sorry.
LA Fitness was close and convenient. Like, I’m talking within walking distance. Less than two blocks. But as you can imagine, I was able to make every excuse in the book. *grins* You can’t see me right now, but I’m sitting in my closet grinning like a crazy person. Because I know you can relate! “It’s so close, but it’s dark now so I can’t walk and that’d be ridiculous to drive two blocks.” So I don’t go. “It’s going to take so long to get there, put my stuff in a locker, train, and come back it’s not worth it.” Hashtag ridiculous lie. I probably went there 3 times max before I canceled my membership. (And I think only ONE of those times was actually at the most convenient location!)
First off, let me just set the record straight - weight training is totally beneficial and a great supplemental tool to improve your body composition, I do agree with this. I’ve trained clients with traditional weight training and gotten them beautiful results... but MAN is it boring to me! I much prefer flipping through the air, sprinting, and swinging versus doing rep after rep staring at myself in the mirror trying not to make eye contact with all of the gym bros and their shirts which, I’m not even sure they can be qualified as shirts if both of their nipples are showing.
I digress… Point being, when you became a member of almost any gym, of course there’s a complimentary consultation session with a trainer. But I did NOT want to be sold. I didn’t want to have to politely turn someone down. (Um, what’s that about?! SO not me) I was going to have NONE of it. I told them I didn’t want it on my account and I tried to keep every trainer away from me when I worked out. I wanted to go in and work on my own. I didn’t want anyone giving me “pointers” because I was a trainer myself. I knew what I was doing. But did I really…? Hah, no. I was doing gymnastics conditioning in a normal person gym. (Which apparently isn’t normal) But, you don’t know what you don’t know. Looking back, I wish I just would have let them do their thing, gave me some tips and taught me some new things I could have used with my own private clients! But knowing that I wasn’t in a position to invest in training and that it was not my purpose of joining the gym, I was such a biznatch to the advisors and the trainers for absolutely no reason other than my insecurity of always wanting to seem the best. Put together. All knowing. Like I had it all figured out. When really, I am very aware I push myself further and I become better when I have a coach. That goes for anything in life. Business, therapy, sports… having an outsider’s perspective is priceless when they are the ones who can hold the mirror up to your face and make you see what you’ve been missing for a long time. You’ll learn 3 things in the next segment about how you can start seeing better results just by asking for help.
I decided to rally our Train Like A Gymnast coaches to discuss this topic as well as take a peek into their own personal experiences. You’ll get to hear from our operations manager, Claire and our Registered Dietician Nutritionist, Heather. I know, you want to lurk them - you can get a hold of their IG handles in the show notes! Every week, the three of us have a team huddle meeting, but last night we talked about this topic after we got the business stuff sorted away.
–PLEASE LISTEN TO THE PODCAST TO HEAR THE COACH SECTION!–
I hope you enjoyed that little snippet from our coaches meeting last night! You lucky duck, you. You got to be a fly on the wall!
So hopefully you learned 3 things from our discussion:
Become aware so you know WHAT you need help with first
Recognize that asking for help can expedite your results
It takes courage and vulnerability to ask for help. You are STRONG!
After talking to a bunch of my current and potential clients like you, I discovered you actually just want to make an impact on this world. And to make an impact on this world, you have to get specific about what exactly you want to accomplish. And it’s hard to make a difference in this world by yourself. It always takes a team. Sure one person may get more recognition, but no single person left their mark on this world without a support system and advisors. This is something I’m still reminding myself of to this day. It's okay not to know the answer to something or to need help and guidance to get to where you want to go. That's where it’s important to strip away our beliefs around asking for help on your journey through life. Ask genuinely, express gratitude, and execute effectively.
I’m not just talking about asking for directions when you get lost or when you need someone to do a favor for you. I’m talking asking for massive help for massive impact. Crowdfunding after a tragedy, requesting a loan for over $10k, hiring a financial advisor, finding someone to partner with or invest in a new business idea, asking a trainer or coach to create a plan that will change your life, investing in your own personal development. The things that just with the thought of it causes a lump in your throat.
Honestly. It's okay to ask for help. Believe me. I have ZERO shame in asking for help anymore. And it has made all the difference.
Grab Your Athlete Success Kit!
If you’ve loved everything in this episode or have any takeaways, be sure to leave a review. As a thank you, I’d like to send you our Athlete Success Kit. I’ve included everything in this guide that helps me stay successful and productive personally and professionally. If you want your copy, just leave us a review and send us a screenshot to team@trainlikeagymnast.com and we’ll shoot it over to you!
Until next time, train with purpose…
Cover photo from Unsplash.com