The following is a post I made some time ago on the blog of my technology company, Yootrain. Intended to speak specifically to personal trainers...as I read through it again, it applies to everyone and their abilities to create real and meaningful change in others lives. I wanted to post this here, as it applies directly to some of the upcoming posts you will see from the others agents...their progress, their challenges and the real changes they are making...

Josh

Before we get into to the next few posts, I want you to consider something…I want you to think about your fitness footprint.

What do I mean exactly?

I mean, when is the last time you took a step back and thought about how many lives you are currently impacting in a positive way? Take it a step further and consider those you may have impacted in the past. And then, consider what you can accomplish in the future.

As I have said many times, personal trainers are in many ways akin to physicians. They have the ability to have a positive and lasting impact on individuals health and wellness, on their lives. It is a truly important role. I could write for hours about what our health care system might look like if the masses maintained overall better health, while building a solid case for personal trainers taking a more prominent position in our overall “health care” portfolio.

But today, I want to focus on impact. (and this applies to everyone...not just trainers)!

Improving a clients health is a tremendous accomplishment. It should be rewarding both professionally and personally. It should also yield some return from a business perspective. That yield could be in the form of referrals, continued training programs, etc. In some cases, improving someones health through personal training can lead to loss of revenue or potentially that client. How many times have we seen the newly motivated ready to sign up in Jan/Feb, right? And, how many times have we seen them complete their package of sessions, successfully lost weight, feel and look better; yet then decide to go it alone…there are many contributing factors, which we will be addressing in the next few postings.

However, if we don’t focus solely on the business side, the question remains…did you impact someone in a positive way?

If we presume that you did, that’s wonderful! But, that isn’t where the impact (or footprint) ended.

Perhaps the business man felt so much better from his training that he began throwing a football around with his son after work. Maybe the overweight diabetic you train, decided once an for all to remove the “bad” foods from her home, leaving a much healthier selection for the entire family. Or maybe, that overachieving commercial real estate broker (who was always on edge), treated someone in his office just a bit more kindly…Do you think the son, the family or the office worker may have then done something different based upon their experience?

You see where I’m going. Call it karma, six degrees of separation, whatever…I call it your footprint.

Impacting one individuals life in a positive way (driven by improved health and wellness), has direct impact on others. Your footprint may be larger then you thought.

So what now? Think about how to make your footprint bigger (essentially what the agents are all doing collectively). Consider the rewards you may see both professionally and personally. Finally, think about your own knowledge as your most valuable asset. Yootrain’s technology will help you extend your footprint. However, it is your expertise, motivation and experience that will dictate how big it ultimately becomes.