This weekend marks my seven year anniversary owning Northern Athletic Club.
It has been a whirlwind seven years where almost every aspect of my life has changed. Relationships ended, new ones began, moved (several times), built a house and a home, marriage, our first child, renovations, new equipment, technology changes and the loss of my mother ... each change brought about the realization that the only constant in life is change.
I have embraced every change in life with open arms and it results in creating a life filled with happiness, friendship, love and complete fulfillment. I have learned so many things over the past seven years and I thank each person who has crossed my path for helping me become who I am today.
What I've learned ...
Never wish time away. We have too often thought "wow, I can't wait for this day to be over" until you realize it may be your last day with someone you love. Suddenly you wish that day would never end.
Never stop learning. Education is a powerful tool. I try to learn something new every day. I am not afraid of making a mistake as long as I learn something from it.
Stop fearing failure. We are human and things don't always work out the way we plan. How boring would life be if we knew exactly how things would play out? Be open minded enough to change your plans when necessary.
Take care of you first. We tend to want to take care of everyone else before ourselves - our children, our spouse, our parents. Without taking care of yourself, you may not be able to take care of anyone. Make sure you keep yourself healthy so you can be around for a long time to take care of them.
Relax. This has been a hard lesson for me. I am a go-go-go person. Having a child helped me realize playing, snuggling and singing songs are far more important than washing the floor. I have absolutely no recollection of whether or not my mother's carpet was vacuumed, but I do remember the tickle fights, the park and making mud pies in the garden together.
Be in love. Not only with others but with your life. If there are things you are unhappy with, change them. A career making piles of money that you dread going to every day is doing nothing for you or your health. I traded a lucrative career for self-employment seven years ago. I doubled my working hours and cut my pay in half. Never, even for a second, have I regretted that decision. A bad, unhappy, unfulfilling job is just that ... be happy. You deserve it.
Anything worth having is worth working for. This applies to relationships (trust me, it won't all be roses), work, children, almost everything in life.
Learn to say "I was wrong." Again, a tough lesson for me. I have learned that part of maturing is admitting that I don't know it all and that I may need to ask for help. I have also learned this doesn't show weakness, but rather, incredible strength.
Appreciate the little things and stop sweating the small things. You hear it all the time, but it is important to remember.
I have many more things to learn. I hope to continue learning for many long, healthy years.
I thank each of NAC's past, present and future members for their support. Also, my amazing staff, Keith and Linda and my fantastic boot camp instructors, Erinka and Caralynn. You have made being a boss the easiest job on the planet. Thanks to you all for helping me have this wonderful life.
Find your passion and go for it! Let us help you discover your passion for health and fitness!
Say it! Mean it! Do it!
