CAROL'S CORNER : A NEW DAWN
Since founding and heading ECA World Fitness Alliance, I’ve been under the radar for about two years. I have had a non compete clause that has recently expired and quite a bit of time to contemplate the question; “what do I want to be when I grow up” It has taken time and much introspection to figure out what I want to do next,
Certainly my goals now are quite different than they were twenty some odd years ago when I started ECA. Money isn’t everything. Purpose, meaning, and happiness matter as well. I have found that individual happiness usually comes from the happiness we create when we help others. Other times, it’s just not our time to be happy and we must learn to work though the variety of emotions a fully realized human being experiences.
Having meaning to one’s life through their work, being relevant, having purpose, and living a life of joy are no small orders. I am not here to fill you with unrealistic expectations. I thought it would be better to share real life journeys, the good, the bad and the ugly, in the hopes that some of the shared experiences will resonant with you.
Many of us have grown up and older within this expanding, evolving and ever changing fitness profession. Sometimes we may feel we’re not be able to keep up. Chasing youth and vitality while hormones get the best of us as we battle fatigue, insomnia, depression, weight gain, muscle loss, brain fog, and aches and pains, isn’t easy! We’re a throw away society and we retire and marginalize aging men and women as being unhip, irrelevant, unknowing, or out of the loop. How can we challenge all of that and remain vital and meaningful and sustain our longer lasting lifetime? Seasoned fitness professionals have wisdom, experience, and knowledge. As a group, experienced trainers and instructors have greater patience and understanding, and can sense authenticity, and are more willing to speak the truth. These are embraceable traits and skills. Vital and relevant, this group has a lot to offer and learn from.
It’s not only the struggle between youth and aging, Potential employers have asked my consulting company to find them staff based on beauty and appearance along with a large instagram following. These have become new requirements for employment.
Some of us may be feeling isolated, afraid or alone, as we read the latest social media posts of how wonderful everyone else is doing! The truth is, more often than not, these feelings are hidden but pervasive among a growing population of disenfranchised people. So let’s not hide these feelings away, let’s bring them into the light, up to the surface and face them with real solutions to create meaningful situations.
We are becoming more and more segmented and segregated as a society and that is not a positive outcome. It separates us from our greater communities and stifles interactions among diverse populations which leads to less understanding, and hinders our abilities to learn, grow and share with each other. Young and old, rich and poor, race, gender, political and religious views divide us now rather than create a rich interwoven experience to draw from.
It is my desire and goal to offer relevant and usable information for us all to grow and thrive, be happier in the process and help people along the way. The fitness industry has long embraced diversity and helped lead the way to understanding and acceptance.
I can’t do this alone however, nor do I want to. I have started a new association, one that I hope will be an interactive endeavor, a community coming together once again as we have done in the past, for the greater good of us all. This is not for one segment of the population, but for everyone, all along our lives, no matter who we are, there are times when we need a helping hand, someone to listen, somewhere we can safely vent, and tools to help us thrive. This new “association” is called F.I.G. (Fitness Instructor Guild) https://fitnessinstructorguild.com/ and the website, while currently a work in progress, is up and running. F.I.G. professional will provide meaningful career advice, information, education, training, services and products to benefit all. F.I.G. enthusiast will be for client outreach and information, and will be known as “Balance” as that is something we ALL need!
Reach out through Conscious Body Consulting’s facebook and instagram pages and let me know your wants and needs. As a first initiative I have partnered with an outside company to provide low cost comprehensive health insurance as I feel this is one service we are in most need of. F.I.G. will also begin running events and workshops, along with job placement and opportunities to aid in professional growth and advocacy. If you see something is missing or needs to be added? Let me know. It is my goal to once again unite us as professionals, young and old, new and experienced, all of us, with no one left behind, and lift us up and help us out. I hope you will join me….