Self Image and Developing the Mental Edge as a PT in Business – Part Six

Developing a mental edge will strengthen your ability to succeed in your PT Business by cutting out the noise and distraction of negative influences.

Learn how a positive self Image is an integral part of being successful.

Now, we’re going to hit the heavy weight of how you can change your self image and get that mental edge.

We left off the previous article looking at your own set of rules and values, your own self image! How did you do?

Were you able to identify some of the positive things that make up your self image? And possibly some not so positive traits that you may want to change?

Ok, here we go… get ready to shift into power lifting.

As mentioned, your self-image is the set of rules you have for yourself. For example, some people’s rules say that they’ll talk with good diction, no amount of alcohol on the planet could get them to slur out “aight, I’m-a holla atcha.” And while some people are fine with “five finger discounting” something they want (even if they could easily afford it) from a store, other people would not steal a loaf of bread to feed their starving family. This isn’t a discussion of morals or ethics, it’s a statement of how people actually see themselves.

If you see yourself as a successful businessperson, you will do everything you can in a completely congruent way to learn how to be successful, and then to actually follow through with it. If you see yourself as a great personal trainer, you will see no great problem in going above and beyond what’s “expected” of you. A mediocre personal trainer will be there right on time, and might call beforehand to confirm the appointment. It’s all in your self image and how you respond to these situations.

So, what would a GREAT Personal Trainer do?

A great personal trainer will definitely call beforehand, be there half an hour early, and will have as much of the equipment already set up and ready to roll as possible when their client gets there.

If you see yourself as a screw-up, you will make mistakes that will leave you wondering how you ever could have done that (like if you put more weight on one side of the bar than the other, or show up for an appointment on the wrong day). If you see yourself as unworthy of earning beyond a certain threshold, there will always be “something” that comes up, that keeps you from following through with the exceptionally lucrative clients who will help drive your business onward.

This is not something you can just will your way through. Willpower is what you use for a very short span of time (as in less than three days). If you want to see the flimsy power of will, take a look at New Year’s resolutions. A New Year’s resolution is a lot like an affirmation- only you never give yourself enough time to actually believe it, which makes it stick roughly as well as oil on Teflon. How many people keep a New Year’s resolution longer than their hangover lasts? How many keep it beyond the reach of February? A truly rare few, indeed.

Your self image, on the other hand, is like an iron core. It is malleable, but it takes effort to do so. And when you do things which are in line with your self image, you feel good about yourself. Even if the things you’re doing end up being painful, humiliating and ultimately wastes of effort you will still have a character building experience. The more you stay in line with your values and self image, the more often you will succeed and draw positive influences to you and your business.

When you do something that goes against your self-image, on the other hand, you feel downright bad about it. Imagine that you were the type of person who lies a lot. Telling the truth about things might actually seem to be wrong, as if it were morally reprehensible.

This example may seem bizarre, but different people’s self images can be so vastly different that even concepts as broad as right and wrong can be vastly different between them.

Consider the difference between sections of the same city. In some parts of a city, crimes go unreported all the time, because “snitching” is considered wrong (and dangerous). Letting whatever happens slide and never calling the police is considered good citizenship in neighborhoods like that. However, in other neighborhoods the exact opposite is the case. Try dropping a piece of litter or turning up your radio, and the cops will be behind you in minutes. The easiest way to explain such dramatic social contrasts is that the self images of the people in one neighborhood carry completely different values than those of people on the proverbial “other side of the tracks.”

Do you see yourself as a great, successful personal trainer? If not, the next section should help you put on your game face… and your money face! You’re finally going to learn why we’ve been over-explaining all this stuff.

Finally , something you can do to help yourself and your self image

This entire report has been focused so far on telling why this stuff works.

But as you may have noticed, it’s been pretty light on the particular “stuff” that’s supposed to work. Now we’ll get into the best way to change your self-image: affirmations.

For all the money people spend on self-improvement, and all the time they take for “trying” to make their lives better, self-improvement starts with reprogramming your own mind to think of you as being a better you.

Naturally, you’re going to have to make up some of your own affirmations.The following are a few basic ones which will help you to retrain yourself.

Feel free to alter them slightly once you’re comfortable with the ideas presented. However, ALWAYS be positive. Avoid the words “no,” “not” and “can’t,” as these and other negative words will screw with your program.

If you think, “I won’t fail,” your subconscious mind will be programmed with “I fail.” The subconscious is sadly literal, for better or worse.

To program these into your mind, do a few long, deep breaths, like you’re about to jack a really heavy weight.

Clear your mind, look in a mirror, and say these to yourself like you’re trying to get pumped up to do something generally reserved for the likes of Hercules.

1. “I am making more money than I know what to do with.”

2. “I am a great personal trainer, and all the best clients want to work with me.”

3. “I am in danger of having too many great clients. I need to hire help.”

4. “By this time next month, I will have more than enough money to pay the rest of the season’s bills.”

5. “The only limit to how well I do is my own imagination.”

6. “I know or will learn everything I need to be extremely successful.”

Those few affirmations alone, done seriously and regularly for a month or so, will change your business.

You don’t even know how much saying a few of the right sentences on a regular basis will help you out.

You know why they work?

They change how you see yourself, which changes the little actions you do without thinking about on a daily basis.

Thank you for reading this report, and hopefully it will guide you to a higher level of success than you previously thought possible. Come visit our facebook page and share your experiences. Other PT’s are regularly sharing their struggles and successes, with Jason and Brad motivating us every day!