Commitments Versus Resolutions

“The more you know, the more you realize you don’t know!”

I hope this blog finds everyone well. The quote above is one that I heard almost 20 years ago, said by one of the most influential people I have ever met — a little Italian guy with a Napoleon complex, named Tony.

At that time, I had no clue what Tony meant. I was a 22-year-old kid, just out of college, with an athletic training background, who thought I knew it all. It took close to six years, after he and I stopped working together, to realize how influential this quote is, especially as it relates to the fitness industry.

Everyone is probably asking, “Why am I reading this?” I put that short story in because the quote and story explains the purpose of my blog. That purpose is to provoke thought, and help everyone see the necessity and value of constantly continuing their education. The mission is to help your personal trainers become successful at a faster rate than I did, and have an amazing journey/career that allows them to retire as a personal trainer, or what I like to call a “Health and Fitness Professional!”

With that said, I am very excited to offer everyone a weekly blog to help everyone, from owners to personal trainers, improve their income and become highly successful Health and Fitness Professionals!

I look forward to this journey and would love to get your feedback on the content and what you would like to see come in the future. Have fun on your journey!

That said, it’s January, and I thought it would be best to start out with a new year’s resolution blog.

What is the easiest time of the year to gain clients or keep them on track toward their health and fitness goals? Most people would say January, because the beginning of the year creates more emotion and motivation to start change — notice I said “start” change — than anything outside of an impactful life event, like marriage, or death!

But have you ever thought about why?

It’s because at the beginning of a new year, clients are experiencing an emotional high that creates a belief that they can achieve the change they want! The problem with this motivation, is that once the emotional high has gone away, so does their belief in achieving that goal. It’s also why making a “resolution” to change, typically ends without accomplishing the goal.

So the million dollar question is — how can we help clients keep their motivation throughout the entire year? One of the best ways to accomplish this is to help clients change their mindsets from making a “resolution” to achieve their health and fitness goals, to making a “commitment” to a future event that will demonstrate their progress and keep them motivated. An event could be a 10K, a triathlon, marathon, or for those that prefer more extremes, events like the Warrior Dash, Spartan Race or Alpha Showdown (for more information on Alpha Showdowns, visit the We Are Alpha – Facebook Page).

To explain why this works, let’s look at the difference between making a resolution and making a commitment. A resolution is, “the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc.” In contrast, a commitment is defined as, “a pledge or promise; obligation.”

Think about the difference in personal responsibility between the two. A resolution helps one “determine the course of action,” but fails to create the same emotional tie as making a commitment. This is because determining the process or course of action to achieve a goal, is not the same as making the obligation or promise to achieve it! When people promise or make an obligation, it puts their credibility on the line, and maintaining one’s credibility has a huge impact on motivation.

Credibility has been described by Stephan M.R. Covey as a combination of character and competency. Character is a combination of intent and integrity, while competency is a combination of capabilities and results. When one states their intent and follows through with it, the actions increase the character side of credibility. If their actions create the result they want, it increases the competency side. When both are achieved, it not only creates credibility, but creates something Covey calls “self-trust.”

As clients increase their self-trust, they become more motivated, and will likely stick with their training. This will have a lasting impact on their confidence and ability to achieve any goal they commit to in the future.

So, to keep clients on track long after the January motivation has worn off, encourage them to make a commitment to an event that aligns with their goals later in the year. It’s much more powerful than any resolution!

Jason Stella is the National Brand Developer of Fitness for Life Time Fitness. He is also a certified personal trainer, and specializes in muscle activation techniques. He can be reached at JStella@LifeTimeFitness.com.