There perhaps isn't a truer adage as definitive of the conundrum facing success-driven fitness professionals than "The more you learn, the more you realize how little you know."
As an in-the-trenches fitness professional, I feel the constant tug between the excitement of new knowledge and the sobering humility when I realize how little I really know. Humbling are those moments where you say to yourself, "I can't believe I didn't know that before," or "How did I ever do it that way?"
I occasionally review past programs I developed for clients or group workouts I designed in my early years as a fitness professional or I'll go back and read past blog posts or review ads or marketing tactics I used in my business. And frankly, I usually don't know whether to cringe or laugh. I think back to the way I used to queue a pushup or instruct proper squat form; or what I would look at to assess a client's movement pattern. Cringe or laugh?
It's like reading an essay you wrote back in grade school; at the time you knew the intention, your end goal and you had all the education necessary at that time to do your absolute best and the effort was valiant. As your critical thinking skills and writing skills improved over time with education and practice, the final product and even the manner in which you delivered it, drastically changed. Or at least it better have!
Think back to your trainer-self one, five, ten years ago. Are there things you did or didn't do that make you cringe or even laugh (hopefully not at the cost of safety of course)? If not, you may need to evaluate the priority of continuing education in your career. Read voraciously. Get out and attend workshops and conferences. Network with other professionals. Ask questions. Set the ego aside. Education is necessary to evolution and evolution is necessary for success.
As an in-the-trenches fitness professional, I feel the constant tug between the excitement of new knowledge and the sobering humility when I realize how little I really know. Humbling are those moments where you say to yourself, "I can't believe I didn't know that before," or "How did I ever do it that way?"
I occasionally review past programs I developed for clients or group workouts I designed in my early years as a fitness professional or I'll go back and read past blog posts or review ads or marketing tactics I used in my business. And frankly, I usually don't know whether to cringe or laugh. I think back to the way I used to queue a pushup or instruct proper squat form; or what I would look at to assess a client's movement pattern. Cringe or laugh?
It's like reading an essay you wrote back in grade school; at the time you knew the intention, your end goal and you had all the education necessary at that time to do your absolute best and the effort was valiant. As your critical thinking skills and writing skills improved over time with education and practice, the final product and even the manner in which you delivered it, drastically changed. Or at least it better have!
Think back to your trainer-self one, five, ten years ago. Are there things you did or didn't do that make you cringe or even laugh (hopefully not at the cost of safety of course)? If not, you may need to evaluate the priority of continuing education in your career. Read voraciously. Get out and attend workshops and conferences. Network with other professionals. Ask questions. Set the ego aside. Education is necessary to evolution and evolution is necessary for success.
