Unexpected Life Lessons from the Gym

I started going to a gym when I was 13; I am now almost 36. I think this gives me my 10 000 hours of mastery according to Malcolm Gladwell. Here are some unexpected lessons I’ve learnt at the gym that can be applied to the real world:Own your headspace: Get your attitude about exercise right. Exercise is really about a healthy mind and healthy body, not a punishment. As in life, don’t believe everything you think.Mind over mattress: In the words of leadership guru Robin Sharma, ‘Winning starts with your beginning. How you start your day sets up how beautifully you live it. Join the 5am Club. Put mind over mattress.’ Whether you wake up at 5am, 5:30am or 6am, getting up early is the best habit you can cultivate. When I walk into the gym at 6am, all proud of myself, I always see other people walking out. They joined the 4am Club!Ask for help: Not sure where to start? Scared of looking silly with the choice of equipment? Get someone to help you for a few sessions and then take it from there. Knowledge is confidence. In life, when you are stuck, find a mentor or coach, and you’ll soon be back on track.Loyalty always rewards: I have had the same trainer for 14 years. Why? Very simply, he still cares. He watches what I’m doing; he doesn’t try return his messages between sets and is always focused. He pushes me to do more than I would on my own and is present every session. Instil these practices into your important relationships – reliability, presence and passion.Integrity at all times: If, like me, you go to the gym regularly at the same times, you will often find yourself sharing the space with the same people. You may not know who they are but making the effort to acknowledge their presence is important. A simple smile and a good-morning goes a long way. Remember, you just never know when you will bump into them elsewhere especially in your professional life. And if you don’t, at least you made someone smile that day.Focus = results: Don’t just do something to get through it in the shortest time with the least effort. Focus on what you are doing, the muscle you are working, the end result you want and how you will feel afterwards. As in all aspects of life, you get results where you put your focus.Own your space: Whether you are experienced or not, fit or not, be confident and give yourself permission to be there. I promise you, everyone is so engrossed in themselves and no one views you under the microscopic lens you view yourself.Recharge your creativity: Your best ideas about work never come at work. They come when you give yourself an opportunity to recharge, zone out and focus on you. Always keep your phone or a notebook handy to make notes when you get little bolts of inspiration and creative ideas.Push yourself: Success starts with self-nudges. Push yourself to do more than you think you can, even an extra two minutes on the treadmill. You’ve proved to yourself that you can reach the goal; now set a new benchmark. Keep doing this and you will only continue to grow and succeed. Break your own mental barrier, then bring that feeling into the rest of your day. As Amy Cuddy has said, ‘Fake it until you become it.’Consistency: Enter a gym in January – packed! March – not so much. June – empty! The only way to see results is consistency. Summer bodies are made in winter. As with life, it’s the small things, done consistently, that end up being the big things.Persevere: If you do 20 leg squats, the first 15 are bearable and the last 5 burn like crazy! It’s in persevering and pushing through it that you see the results. Give up just as it gets a bit tough and you don’t quite get the full benefit. In life, the greatest rewards are just inches outside of your comfort zone.Just show up: Tom Peters said, ‘Showing up means... starting.’ Did you show up at the gym today? Did you ‘show up’ for your life today? ‘Just showing up’ means you’re 80% of the way there. The hard part of fighting yourself to get dressed in workout gear, dealing with traffic and the worry about pain you might experience is over. Now all that is left is the workout itself. Pretty simple, huh? Life’s opportunities are the same. It’s easier to make significant progress on a project if you simply show up to do it.Here’s to owning your space!Warm wishes,Lori