“One Who Lacks the Courage To Start Is Already Finished” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Hello everyone, and I hope you had a very nice holiday season. My holidays were nice…quiet…just the way I wanted them.
What I would like to talk about today is fear. You would think that because I own a personal training studio instead of a parachute jumping school I wouldn’t meet up with many fearful people but, honestly, just the opposite is true. I meet fearful people almost every day.
One example: Last year a man came in for a consultation. He told me that he needed to lose weight and wanted to get in better shape. After our discussion he signed an agreement and planned to start training the following week. On the day of his first planned session he came in and asked to speak to my wife, Laura. He proceeded to tell her that he couldn’t possibly start an exercise program. She told me that when he was speaking to her he was visibly upset, shaking and stuttering. The poor man was terrified! She asked why he was so upset and he just kept saying the he just couldn’t do it…...
Extreme….obviously. What was he so afraid of?
A couple of weeks ago an acquaintance of one of my clients came in for a consultation. This young woman began to tell me about how she needed to lose about 100 pounds, was unhappy with the way she looked and felt, etc. She also told me that she was afraid of exercising. I told her that a fitness coach would be with her every step of the way and that she had nothing to be worried about. She then set up a free training session….and I never saw her again.
Last week a young woman called for information about our Studio. After a lengthy informational conversation she set up a consultation for this week. The day before the consultation she called to cancel, citing a migraine. Obviously just “thinking” about exercising caused her so much stress that she worked her way into a headache.
Fear…..it does strange things to people. However, the fact remains that most fear is irrational. If you really think about what you are supposedly afraid of, there is no basis. Of course, you can certainly be afraid of a deadly illness, getting into a plane or car crash, etc., but even those fears relate to things that, statistically, occur rarely, if ever.
Fear….is mostly psychological. Many women – those with low self-esteem - fear looking better because they mistakenly feel as if they are not “worthy” to look better. Some men fear that if their significant others look and feel better their partners may look elsewhere, and they will lose control over them emotionally.
What is truly sad is that irrational fear blocks many people from making a lifestyle change that will definitely impact their lives for the better.
Are you one of those people who fear looking and feeling better? Or do you want to make a positive change in your health and wellness – fighting your fears?
