How Did You Get Here?

My old employer routinely accused me of only being where I was at on account of being able to talk.

I was accused the other day by a trainer of being "selfish" for not choosing to work with him.

So how did I get here?

A brief bio for anyone who's interested (probably not too many people).

Made a call one day to Gold's Capitol Hill in Washington DC. Was about to move into the city and wondered if I could teach some spinning classes for extra cash in graduate school. Gem Elliot, the man who would play such a pivotal role in my life answered. By the end of the call he'd convinced me to try my hand at personal training (which I'd done in the past along-side the fitness modelling stuff but didn't particularly care for as I struggled to build a consistent client base).

Gem pegged me as an all-star (God only knows why - he's a massive Turkish bodybuilder with a tan and sleek body... I can only say that by the grace of God he saw something in me) and let me train any and everyone. I didn't take that compliment lightly: I trained clients at 5 a.m. and late at night before and after my ridiculous grad-school load.

For whatever reason my clients got stellar results. They resigned all the time when the other trainers were complaining about not having any business.

Life happened, my dad got sick, and I dropped out of grad school to try to generate extra income. I asked Gem if I could follow him to a gym he was set to run in Northern Virginia. He said yes, and off I went across the river to Gold's Gym Ballston.

I was scared. Relying on personal training for my income? Trainers in the gym who aren't working make something like $7 / hour. Oy.

I was dirt poor and slept in my car for weeks. The Arlington cops took a liking to me. Ha. I could have asked friends for help but I needed this time of my life to toughen me up and make me stronger. If I couldn't afford it I didn't borrow it. Period. Ok that's not true. I borrowed a couple hundred from Gem to put gas in the car and eat, and paid him back on my first paycheck. But I was making $25 / hour as a trainer. Not exactly sexy days.

I knew where I was headed though.

I also trained some clients in Maryland and I'd drive an hour each way to get to them three days a week. As such I'd sometimes sleep at a rest stop.

I would work 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. I slept little. My feet hurt. I gained weight. Ha how ironic.

However.

Within three months my clients were getting amazing results and I was suddenly making a yuppy income.

Within four months I was asked to manage a small gym in Annandale, Virginia (where? Exactly). Within two days and that gym was number two in the company. Another week and we were number one. Month after month it was the same.

Within three months I had been picked by my now-best-friend and dear compatriot, Pete, to run the most important Gold's in the country. I was sat down by the CEO and told that I wasn't the right choice. Hmm. Ok.

I won't bore you with the success story that follows.

The point is this: it was school of hard knocks.

I not only paid my dues: I embracced them head-on.

If my trainers weren't set to eat well, I wouldn't eat well. I slept in my car. I never did anything on credit: I paid cash for everything.

I still rarely sleep more than 4 hours.

If I don't think a trainer is going to eat well, I won't eat well.

I don't stand around and wait for people to do stuff for me. I get the s--- done. Take the same tactic: I assure you I'll respect you for it, stand behind you, and heck you may even find me taking the baton out of your hands and taking it across the finish line for you.

So there you have it. I have been running on full speed since January of 2006. Love me, hate me, respect me, don't respect me. I'm just blessed that God put it in me to always praise him in the storm and embrace the manna in the desert. He blessed me with a vision of the promise land singed into my eyes. If you chose to follow me, you may have to eat manna for a time. It's not because I'm selfish and hoarding the milk & honey, I assure you.