Personal Trainers: Do you really want to work less?

So here I am, sitting in my kitchen on a public holiday writing this blog post. 

Why am I doing this today?

Most ‘normal’ people around have got today off – so why have I chosen to work?

It’s a question that I’ve been asking myself a lot recently. 

I’ve been properly ‘designing’ my life over the last couple of years now. Designing it in a way that fits in with what I want to do each day. Things like taking the kids to school, spending time with them every evening, setting up a new football team for my son and his friends that I am then also managing, taking the family to Spain for 1 month in the Summer etc. 

All of the things mentioned above I was unable to do before I made a commitment to take full control of my life and leave the Financial Services industry. 

As I’ve sat back on this journey (that is far from over by the way), I have discovered that it’s not actually about designing a life where I work less. It’s about designing a life that provides me with the freedom to ‘do what I want, when I want to’

You see, I actually enjoy creating systems around sales and marketing. I enjoy writing. I enjoy growing my businesses. I enjoy increasing profit margins. I enjoy the feeling of knowing that my companies are helping others to also improve their lives. Whether it’s ladies getting in great shape or other PTs earning more income.

So as I enjoy all of these ‘jobs’ why would I want to do less of them?

At first I thought it was all about creating a lifestyle that involved ‘working less’, but it’s not. 

This is why I choose to write this blog post while everyone else is having a lie in or going to the holiday sales. Given the choice I would much rather write this. I find it relaxing. I also know that there will be some that read it that will be inspired by it in some way. That beats fighting through a load of car and foot traffic at the shops. 

When we go to Spain for the Summer, I am taking my lap top and I will be doing the things that I enjoy each day – writing blogs, setting up sales and marketing systems, helping other trainers improve their businesses etc – the only thing that I won’t be doing is taking the kids to school, but I will be doing all of this stuff from a much more relaxing, inspiring environment. 

I will also be breaking up the daily routine with trips to the local restaurants and dips in our private pool.

I can do all of this with complete confidence of knowing that my training business back home is in safe hands.  When I booked the trip we were not quite in the right shape to leave the biz for a whole month. We needed another trainer. 

So since booking the trip, we then took on one of our existing members (she has been with us for over 2 years) and paid for her to get her qualifications. She is now fully qualified and able to run sessions on her own. This in turn has freed up some of my wife’s time. 

The actual thought of having loads of free time on my hands doesn’t appeal to me in the slightest. I would get bored.

There is something quite satisfying about knowing that you are improving on a daily basis. As a husband, a father, a business leader, a coach, a son – in every way. We’re meant to act in this way surely?

So what happens when my current businesses are sold?

I will find something else to pursue excellence in – whether that’s property management, learning another language, wealth creation, helping others, charity work – I don’t know. But it will be something that I really love doing.

I used to think that I would answer that question with ‘retire to the beach’ but that just ain’t the case. 

If work was actually described as ‘being able to do exactly what you want, when you want and earn an amazing living while doing it’ – do you think that more people would want to work more?

Instead for most people (and it used to be for me) it’s described as ‘so I can earn enough money to pay my bills, living for the weekend, hating Sunday evenings and counting down the days to that 7 day holiday”

My advice to anyone that is looking to follow a similar journey is to identify everything that you do each day – and I mean everything. Once you have your list then mark everything that ONLY you can do. Then also mark off anything that you can get someone else to do for between £10 and £20 per hour. 

Then start outsourcing that work. It will free you up to have more time growing your business and also allow you to start just doing the things that you enjoy. It won’t feel like work then. 

Ricky