I graduated from Truman State University on May 13 and somehow I didn't get the memo about backpacking through Europe, or vacationing for a month, or any other relaxing thing. I was driven, I was confident, and I was naive. Oh and I had a bad haircut.
I left Missouri sad to have graduated from college but excited to start a job. I walked in the door of Northwest Athletic Club (soon to be Lifetime Fitness) and I did not have a clue what to do. I was hired to be a personal trainer but all I could see at that moment was a gigantic club, lots of equipment, so many people, and I had no idea what to do.
Even though I was overwhelmed I had a great new dog.
But then I blinked. 7 years went by. People were not joking when they said time goes by so fast. I have learned so much, been blessed with so many amazing clients and co-workers, and had great experiences.
I have always prided myself on being a "relatable" trainer. I remember asking my dad before I started "what if no one will hire me because I'm not fit enough?" I eat cookies, I sometimes struggle to work out, I don't always get enough sleep, etc. I am able to relate to my clients.
Apparently being relatable has worked - I have loyal and amazing clients. One of my clients said something to me today that really made me proud of myself. She said "you were working for awhile and then you got vacation time and then you learned how to take vacation"
This made me chuckle but also made me reflect. I am really proud of my life/work balance. I have been able to have so many great experiences regardless of money, time or other boundaries. A Forbes article reveals 75% of polled Americans do not use up all of their paid time off in a year. I have never left a day off on the table. Usually at the end of the year I am trying to bribe trainers with cookies for them to give me their leftover pto.
How's your work/life balance? What experiences have you had? What experiences have you missed because you just couldn't take time off?
But I do have one regret. And that is to not have written down all the funny stuff I have seen or heard at the gym. So I did my best and found a video that only starts to express what is overhead at the gym. Enjoy
Have a fantastic week and take a random day off and PLAY.
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