And The Top 5 Regrets Of Dying!
Blessed Wednesday To You!
I had a very busy day yesterday, but got a lot done since I’m traveling as of tomorrow.
As busy as I was, I managed two healing chi sessions.
Yesterday was pushing day for me so I coupled heavy dumbbell bench pressing with Bruce Lee Swiss ball push-ups and multi-angle cable twisting for four circuits.
Today I’m finishing some of the projects I’ve started so I can leave to Toronto tomorrow with a sense of completion.
I’m also reviewing all my slide shows so I don’t get any suboptimal surprises that can be avoided with an ounce of preparation.
THE ULTIMATE CHEK PROFESSIONAL
Angie Lustrick was chosen as The Ultimate CHEK Professional by her peers at the 2011 CHEK Conference last year here in San Diego.
She’s what I call, “the real deal!”
Angie is an exemplification of my dream as a teacher come true. I’ve watched her learn and grow and apply what she embodies in her life and work.
If there’s a girl out there that exemplifies the American Spirit, it’s Angie.
She dreams big and shares big too.
I recently had the urge to connect with Angie and see how her gym expansion has been going and what’s new and interesting in her life.
I also wanted to share an update with all the people interested in The World of CHEK and the CHEK Practitioners of the world as to what the Ultimate Chek Professional has been up to.
Angie informed me that she’d just returned home from an amazing vacation in Bali.
She said it was very beautiful there and that she really had a lot of fun and a good rest.
She was hoping to come home to find her gym expansion completed, but as usual, contractors were still plodding along with the job; but she took it in stride and is happy to do what it takes to conclude the project so she can offer her clients more.
I asked Angie to send me an update and any tips she’d like to share with the rest of the CHEK Practitioners, perspective CHEK Practitioners, and the world.
She so kindly did that and this is her beautiful, insightful message to all of you:
“I don’t know about you, but after years of hard work and dedication to changing lives, being recognized by Paul Chek and the CHEK Institute, is like hitting a grand slam in the ninth inning of the World Series.
Winning the Ultimate CHEK Professional Of the Year Competition was an amazing moment in my life.
When I heard about the competition through the CHEK Institute’s emails, I knew that this contest was for me.
I applied a strategy I use for all competitions in life – I meditate over it. I visualize myself winning. I see myself as already being the winner.
I then know what it takes to win.
I then can easily go backwards in time, up to the very moment of contemplation of entering a contest, and I know crystal clearly what it will take to win.
I then can decide if I can give the competition the amount of energy it will take. If the answer is yes, I go for it.
When I wrote my entrance essay to the CHEK Institute, I opened my heart and allowed myself to be vulnerable – to express myself freely and uniquely.
After all, if you don’t give it your 100%, you are just cheating yourself. With this strategy, there are no “what ifs” in life. (Even if you don’t win, because you gave it your all.)
When I became a finalist for the CHEK Professional of the Year Award, I was ecstatic!
When Tristan called me and told me that I had to be okay with doing a presentation at the upcoming CHEK conference, I was excited to have the opportunity to share my story, my business, and my legacy with my peers.
I started my business back in 2000 and it has been like a child – an extension of me. I watched it grow and nurtured it.
I added square footage and passionate employees over the years – each year getting a bit bigger and a bit better – without losing the focus of each individual’s specific needs.
Some of the secrets to my success include: attention to detail, team building, and being authentic. Also, going slow, building momentum, and not getting too big, too fast is very important.
Another big secret is that I never stop learning.
I know way too many trainers that get certified and never go back to school.
They train the same way they did ten years ago. Their workouts are stagnant and their clients don’t see the results they want to see.
The best way to keep your business fresh and exciting it to continuously learn new things – you will improve your training skills and get quicker results for your client.
I was fortunate to stumble upon Paul Chek early in my career.
In fact, it was the first year after I became certified and I wanted to start taking continuing education classes.
Paul’s Scientific Core training courses: Functional Anatomy of the Core, High Performance Core Conditioning, Core Conditioning Exercises, and Assessing Core Function were being offered through a Personal Trainer Catalog.
This stuff just blew my mind!
Before Paul I thought putting a client on a machine and counting reps was training – I had no idea!
His information through me light years ahead of my competition. I quickly went from 5 clients a day to 24!
I had to start raising my prices (supply and demand at its finest!). And eventually I had to hire trainers to help with the workload.
A quick word about hiring – never hire a person off the street. Make sure the person is referred to you by at least one person you know (and if not, follow the policy tips I outlined below).
One bad apple can spoil the bunch. I made the mistake of hiring a guy that happened to just walk in and wanted to train.
He had a training degree – what could go wrong?
Well, his training methods were nothing like mine. He also had poor work ethic and always showed up late. It was a nightmare and it was very difficult to fire him once he started.
All my other employees became disgruntled, my clients started to complain – everything I had worked for in the last eight years started to crumble before me.
It was a very scary moment. So, I now have several policies in place (I suggest that you do too):
1. Have them fill out an application and bring it back. (This screens out A LOT of people)
2. Schedule an interview at a later date. (You will find out real quick if the potential employee can show up on time.)
3. Make them do an internship for at least 40 hours. This will allow them to see your training method and will give them an opportunity to ask questions and learn.
At the end of a their internship, you both will know if you can work together. (Hot tip: Make them train you to see what they already know. This is a fast track to find out what they are really made of!)
Another tip I want to share is that you need to get out there and expose yourself.
No, you don’t have to get naked. But if you look hot, it might not be a bad idea ;)
What I mean is, create a web presence (mine’s at www.angiesworld.com). This is the cheapest way to advertise.
Post your prices, testimonials, start a blog. Create a newsletter – let everyone know who you are and what you do.
Oh yeah, and don’t forget to post a few pictures of yourself too!
Once you start making some money, it’s a good idea to market yourself.
Make business cards, create a logo, and make t-shirts with your logo or other merchandise that is: 1. Quality (if you put your name on junk, what’s that say about you?)
2. Useful and environmentally friendly. I’ve made pedometers, stainless steel water bottles, coffee mugs, pens, workout outfits, lunch coolers, calendars, and yoga mats, to name a few.
When I finally took the stage at the CHEK Conference, I showed up prepared with a PowerPoint showcasing my business – I wanted to show, not tell.
When I did win that competition, Paul said it best: I came there to win. Check out my award acceptance here:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYNsDBAaixk
Since winning, I have made numerous Chekie friends on Facebook. (If we aren’t friends yet, we should be!)
I love being surrounded by like-minded individuals. It raises our vibration and we can provide an awesome network and resource for each other.
I have also gone on to take HLC2 with Paul and I am signed up for HLC3 later this year.
I just recently came back from an amazing trip to Bali, where I spent three weeks.
What a beautifully spiritual place full of lush vegetation, friendly people, and the home of 20,000 temples!
I’ve written a few blogs on my website if you are interested in learning more about Bali. www.angiesworld.com/blog
Thanks for taking the time to read a little about me. I hope to meet all of you in the near future.”
Hugs all around,
Angie Lustrick
Licensed Nutritionist
Certified Personal Trainer (ACSM & CHEK)
President of Angie’s World
Author of Body by Angie
www.angiesworld.com
951-683-0448
Top Five Regrets Of The Dying
This article was forwarded to me by CHEK Practitioner Rob Brinded. It’s a great little article written by a nurse.
I hope it inspires you to live fully so you can die peacefully with a sense of completion, like the end of a beautiful vacation in Wonderland!
Enjoy your day!
Love and chi,
Paul Chek
Top Five Regrets Of The Dying – Wednesday 1 February 2012 06.49 EST
Bronnie Ware is an Australian nurse who spent several years working in palliative care, caring for patients in the last 12 weeks of their lives.
She recorded their dying epiphanies in a blog called Inspiration and Chai, which gathered so much attention that she put her observations into a book called The Top Five Regrets of the Dying.
A nurse has recorded the most common regrets of the dying, and among the top ones is ‘I wish I hadn’t worked so hard’.
What would your biggest regret be if this was your last day of life?
There was no mention of more sex or bungee jumps.
A palliative nurse who has counselled the dying in their last days has revealed the most common regrets we have at the end of our lives.
And among the top, from men in particular, is ‘I wish I hadn’t worked so hard’.
Ware writes of the phenomenal clarity of vision that people gain at the end of their lives, and how we might learn from their wisdom.
“When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently,” she says, “common themes surfaced again and again.”
Here are the top five regrets of the dying, as witnessed by Ware:
1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
“This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled.
Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.
Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.”
2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.
“This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship.
Women also spoke of this regret, but as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners.
All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.”
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
“Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming.
Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.”
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
“Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down.
Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years.
There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.”
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.
“This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice.
They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits.
The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content, when deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.”
What’s your greatest regret so far, and what will you set out to achieve or change before you die?
© 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
