Fit For Life: I Can’t Settle – Neither Should You

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Matt Espeut, GoLocalWorcester Health +Lifestyle Contributor

I see it all the time, people settling or even worse, striving for mediocrity. I say, why settle for being average when greatness isn't that far away. The difference between good and great is just a matter of putting in a little more effort. One extra degree of effort usually tips the scale from good to great, but this day and age, most people aren’t willing to do it, and they settle for average.

I have been witnessing this first hand through my quest to find a new assistant. I am looking for a real go getter, one that can help me grow and take my business to the next level but the list of candidates hasn't been looking that great lately. It has been eluding me because it seems that nobody is willing to take that initiative and work hard, but would rather just settle and look for the easy way out.

I find mistakes on resumes, and when you can’t even take the time to proofread, and pay attention to details with this very important first step, it is unlikely that you will pay attention to the fine details when you are doing the job at hand. I believe in a quote "how you do anything is how you do everything”.

Now think about how true that is. If your car is a mess, your desk and house probably are too. If you do things 1/2 ass at home, you most likely cut corners at work. If you do some things with lackluster effort, chances are that you do most things this way. If you are organized at home, you will probably be organized at work, and in your personal life too.

Ya see, I am kind of a perfectionist. Almost to a fault. I would rather have someone take a few extra minutes and check their work than rush through and submit a sloppy product. It is more important to do something well, rather than just do it fast. And the caliber of people applying for employment these days, do not seem to have that drive, or taste for excellence.

I received over 80 applications, and out of the bunch, only 9 seemed to fit the position. Out of the number of people I called in for an interview, 3 showed up late, 3 didn’t show at all, and the last 3 showed no enthusiasm for the position. When I asked if health and fitness excited them, one person replied “I am not excited because it’s a gym or anything…I just need a job”. Next applicant please.

I am not sure if it’s because we set our standards too low, or if it’s the entitlement programs offered to people, but the dedication, desire, and drive I have experienced lately is disheartening. I did just recently, however, find a group of ambitious youngsters that I may be able to find a great employee from. I went through a program that finds these ambitious, young, less privileged kids, and trains them for real world experience. Wish me luck.

The same issue of mediocrity also relates to the condition of the health of this nation. It all starts with how you take care of yourself. Again with the quote, how you do anything, is how you do everything. If you are lazy at work and home, chances are you are lazy about taking care of yourself.

The reason we are faced with such a health epidemic in this country is that it is easier to throw some boxed, packaged, frozen crap in the microwave, rather than prepare a meal. The truth is that it only requires one little bit of extra effort to put something healthy together. So the difference between taking care of yourself by eating something nutritious, and putting processed poison into your body is about 9 minutes of preparation, or 1 extra degree of effort.

The same holds true with your fitness routine. Very few people put in the effort to work on their fitness. I hear excuses like, “I don’t have the time”, or “I’m too busy”. Well at my facility, we get you warmed up and sweating with a fast paced, high intensity, strength and cardio based workout in 30 minutes. Heck, I used to work for a pizza place that guaranteed a 30-minute delivery time. Now I can get you fit and healthy in 30 minutes. How ironic. But so much for the time excuse.

I also noticed that a lot of the people that enter gyms, go in and put in a lackluster effort and just get their workout “done”. That’s why here at Providence Fit Body Boot Camp we coach you through your workout, so you don’t just come in and go through the motions. We want you to have a great workout every time, not just get it “done” but do it well. If you are going to devote the time to get a workout in, make it effective. It only takes one more degree of intensity to make a good workout great. So dig down a little deeper next time you step on the gym floor. It will make a big difference in the outcome. You will go from average to great much quicker.

Back to nutrition. If you devote the time to work out, get a great one in, but follow it up with a good eating plan. I am also a big advocate of being efficient with our time. I will never say coming to my gym and working out is a waste of time, but if when you leave, and do not eat something healthy, you are only prolonging your transformation from happening. So yes it is great that you work out, but by applying a little more effort and eating properly, you enhance and expedite your results. Therefore, you become more efficient, and reach your goals faster.

I have been in this business for over 20 years. Just experience alone would make me a good coach, but I strive for greatness, so I will always continue to go to conferences, and trainings. By doing that extra degree of work, I hope to go down in the books as a great coach. Being average does not appeal to me. Nobody wants to go see an average trainer or coach to motivate them to their goals.

In conclusion, we need to starting setting the bar higher and stop settling. There is an unlimited amount of opportunity out there but a shortage of folks going after it, and it needs to change.
We need to prioritize the important things, and stop wasting our time and efforts on the trivial things that do not matter if you or we as a nation ever want to become great again.

Matt Espeut, GoLocal's Health & Lifestyle Contributor has been a personal trainer and health & fitnesss consultant for over 25 years. He is the owner of Fitness Profiles, a one on one, and small group personal training company, as well as Providence Fit Body Boot Camp, located at 1284 North Main St., on the Providence/Pawtucket line. You can reach Matt at (401) 453-3200; on Facebook at "Matt Espeut", and on Twitter at @MattEspeut. "We’re all in this life together – let’s make it a healthy one!

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MapMyRun

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MyFitnessPal

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JeFit

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Strava

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YogaStudio

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SimplyBeing

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Fooducate

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Made for iPhone and Android