As I was closing the gym up one night and was just about to flip the last light switch off, it hit me – a deep feeling of emotion. I looked over the large room full of weights, bars, and rubber mats, and just a few moments ago, full of people, and blasting music, and just took it all in.
This moment of quiet, this moment of emptiness, struck me and made me realize what truly goes on here on a day-to-day basis.
Most people look at a gym and all they see are weights and people working toward goals of vanity while listening to loud music to drown out the thoughts of working out and not wanting to be at the gym.
That is not how I see it.
I see the gym as a stage, a platform of sorts, for me to help people perform the best they can. Yes, to lose weight, get stronger, and even look hot, sexy, fine, but this is not my true agenda. What I really use this platform for is to have touch points with many different, wonderful people. This allows me to not only help them reach their superficial goals, but in the end, it is to help people enjoy life a little bit more.
See, the gym is where new friendship can happen, people with similar goals and similar struggles can meet and help one another. The gym is not all about lifting weights and busting your proverbial balls. No, it’s about becoming a better you, not a stronger, better looking you, but just a better you.
Become better can take many forms. It could be as simple as becoming healthier being able to enjoy more activities. It could be having more energy and sleeping better so now when you get home, you have enough energy to play with your kids or to help cook dinner. It could be finding a place where you can talk to people who care about you and your struggles. Or it could even be helping you get better at organizing and prioritizing your day and week so you have more time to do the things you want and allow you to get even more out of this wonderful life.
The thing is, just as it is hard to squat 200lbs or bench what is equivalent to a large adolescent boy, it is hard to overcome your eating habits, sleeping habits, and even your stress management habits. The gym is just a giant metaphor for life. To get any worthwhile results, to make any changes, is going to be hard. But you know what? It is a whole lot easier doing it with a coach and a group of people that care about you and want to see you succeed.
The gym to me is an amazing place where all these things can happen. It is more than weights; it is more than mirrors; it is a place that can truly change your life and help you truly enjoy the things important to you.
As a coach I am just so blessed and overjoyed to have the opportunity each day to help people enjoy their life just a little more.
Thank you, and what can I do to serve you better?
Josh Williams
