A gym with Values?
Even when it existed as nothing more than ideas in a notebook, On Target Fitness has been a different kind of gym. From concept to founding to its current existence, On Target Fitness has been a VALUES driven endeavor. In an industry fraught with sleazy marketing, pressure sales, and low standards of conduct, being driven by values makes us a little odd. How we conduct ourselves, how we structure our services, our policies, who we hire, how we market ourselves, who we choose to do business with, ALL stem from my personal values and from the values of my gym community as a group.
The coaches and I started working on articulating those values that we seem to share. We didn’t want to make a corporate, hollow, list of core values that sit on a website somewhere but we don’t live out on a daily basis. We wanted each core value to feel very familiar, even if we hadn’t necessarily phrased it that way before. We also wanted them each to be things that we always desire to improve upon.
Most importantly, they needed to be universal. They needed to apply to being a fitness professional, being a client, being a good son/daughter, boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife, parent, aunt/uncle, etc. Our core values aren’t a list of best business practices; they are a way to live a happy life.
Enough hype! What are they?
- Do what works
- Treat yourself and others with kindness and respect
- Be honest and transparent
- Set a higher aim and start living it today
- Listen, learn, and grow every day
- Strive to bring your best self out to the world
- Live life on purpose and with gratitude
What do these mean to us?
1. Do what works. Our number 1 core value. It seems self evident and yet most gyms don’t do what works. Most gyms do some combination of what is cool at the moment, what is easy to market, or what is tough (because maybe being super tough is cool). At On Target Fitness we focus exclusively on doing what will get the best results, for the maximum number of clients. There are plenty of cool things that get results so there is no point in chasing cool things that don’t get results just to ride a fad and make a quick buck.
How amazing would our day be if we focus on doing what works? How many things do you already know work for you but you don’t do consistently? Try to have a day where you focus on what works: no snooze button, 8oz of water as soon as you wake up, meditate/journal for 5 minutes to get your head right, eat a healthy breakfast, get a workout in at some point, focus only on important stuff at work (instead of being “busy”), listen and be present when you talk to your loved one about your day, read instead of watching tv or scrolling through social media, finish the day by journaling/meditating about what you are grateful for, sleep like a baby because you didn’t screw with your body’s sense of day/night with tv or phone screen.
Would a day like that work for you? Do what works!
2. Treat yourself and others with kindness and respect. This was deliberately phrased. Why did I start with treating yourself with kindness? Because most people don’t treat themselves very well. Most people took the golden rule we all learned as little kids (treat other people the way you’d like to be treated) and have twisted it so that they treat other people much better than they treat themselves.
If you put your needs last and you say mean $h!t to yourself in your own head, STOP! You deserve so much more than that! Take care of yourself as if you are someone you are responsible for, because you are! Remember the rule on the airplane: Put your own mask on first before helping others.
Okay now on to others: Take any relationship you have: customer, boss, coworker, relative, spouse, friend, gym fam, etc. Ask yourself: How could I be the best part of their day?
3. Be honest and transparent. We practice this at the gym every day with how we conduct our strategy sessions. We don’t bring people in the door with bait and switch marketing. When you come to see us, we go out of our way to make you feel comfortable and at home. Most of the strategy session conversation is actually done sitting at my Grandmother’s coffee table. We honestly and professionally recommend the best program for you based on your individual situation.
From there you sign a membership agreement that is entirely in size 12 font (no fine print!), we verbally explain the cancellation fee and how to cancel, you initial by pertinent items and we answer any questions you have. Finally we send you a copy of the agreement so you can refer to it whenever you want. Because we are so transparent about our membership agreements, do we occasionally lose a sale? Yes, rarely, but I would rather that than have anyone not fully understand their membership or feel misled. Getting sales by purposefully not being clear is scummy and short sighted.
Being honest and transparent isn’t just a good business practice. It is a good life practice. Being honest with ourselves is an important part of taking ownership, shedding excuses, and living a happier, more empowered life.
4. Set a higher aim and start living it today. You hit the target you aim for. Aim at something better, and begin your journey towards it NOW, not tomorrow. Take a blank piece of paper and write everything you want on it. Big, small, tangible, intangible. Everything from a nice watch that caught your eye to the kind of person you want to be, the kind of marriage you want to have, etc. Take some quiet time on this. No outside stimulation. Try to keep that sheet with you for a couple weeks so that you can add to it as things pop into your head. It will always be a work in progress but once you have it decide what you are going to do TODAY! What are you going to do EVERY day to move towards those things on the list?
Do you have things in your day that don’t move you towards anything on that list? You just found yourself some saved time by cutting those things out! Nice work! Making this list is a great way to get out of living in the future. By that I mean “Once I make more money I’ll be able to travel…” kinds of thoughts. Why wait? If you want to travel, start by going on a walk in your area every day. Then do easy hikes on the weekend (hiking is a super cheap way to travel btw). Prioritize your spending so you have a travel fund. Eventually work your way up to the big, sexy, instagram envy trips.
Once you get on paper what is really important to you it is much easier to cut out what isn’t. Once you cut out what isn’t important you have the time, money, and energy for the people and experiences that will make your life amazing! Shed what you no longer need to be so that you can more fully become who you know in your heart you SHOULD be!
5. Listen, learn, and grow every day. You can learn something, big or small, every single day. Daily reading is a must. Listening is so important. Everyone wants to be heard and you never will be if you don’t listen first.
Make every person you interact with a potential teacher. I have a meticulously organized notebook that helps me keep my to do list manageable. A few of the ways that I organize it I learned from one of the WORST people I have ever worked with. Despite how terrible he was, something I learned from him benefits me literally every day.
Don’t be afraid to learn from your mistakes! Mistakes are the best opportunities for learning and growth. Anything worthwhile is tough. Progress is rarely a straight line. Some things are just inherently messy. Finding your soulmate starts with the chaotic process known as dating. My observation has been that having and raising children can have its up and down moments, although I can’t speak from personal experience. Starting a business or getting in shape for the first time in a decade won’t be all sunshine and unicorn farts either.
You can sit around beating yourself up about your mistakes or you can learn. Had a binge and crushed a few too many doughnuts? Everyone knows not to eat them. Now you have an opportunity to learn why you craved them, why you couldn’t resist them, etc. You have the chance to get a really clear glimpse into part of what makes you tick. Don’t miss out! Embrace it!
6. Strive to bring your best self out to the world. If we practice treating ourselves and others with kindness and respect, if we set our sights on higher aims, we will consistently be bringing a better version of ourselves out to those around us. It starts small, it starts within ourselves, and it echoes out to change the world. Your change will positively influence your whole house. Your house will influence your street. Your street will influence your neighborhood. Your neighborhood will influence your city. Your city will influence your state. Your state will influence the country, and the world.
I use the word Strive because none of us are perfect or ever will be. Accept and love yourself despite your lack of perfection. The world can be pretty harsh and cruel. What can we do to make it less so for those around us?
7. Live life on purpose and with gratitude. Living life on purpose: What do you want out of life? How can you best leave the world a better place than you found it? When you are on your deathbed, you are not likely to wish you had spent more time scrolling through political rants on facebook. If you don’t live life on purpose you will fall into autopilot and the whole experience will pass you by.
The Pulse Test: I have a test for you that is a little jarring but go with me. A couple years ago we were all shocked and saddened by the Pulse nightclub shooting. Some of the victims made final phone calls hiding in bathroom stalls knowing they only had about a minute before they were next. You have 1 minute to live, who would you call and what would you tell them? If you only had one minute to live, what will you wish you had done? The answer is probably something you could start doing TODAY! Who will you wish you had the chance to hug one more time? Please hug them TODAY!
Okay that is really heavy. If it makes one person hug someone special a little harder then I think that was worth it. Now to finish a little more positive: gratitude! Expressing gratitude is a great way to share your energy. Side benefit: you GET a lot of energy too! That is why we have a shout out box at the gym. Thank you notes are another great way to share and get energy. I am not talking the notes that you are “supposed” to write after holidays or whatever occasion. I am talking about an out of nowhere, well thought out note to someone thanking them for what they do or who they are. Give it a try!