Six months ago I made a decision. At the time, it was a fucking terrifying one. I mean how the hell was I going to walk into an F45 studio, four years later and be able to well, walk out. Jokes aside I desperately needed to make some changes. Big ones.
After getting stuck, exhausted trying to carry a screaming three-year old through the sand with zero strength or energy to make it the entire way back to the car I was fed the fuck up. With myself, with my body and life in general. In the interest of full disclosure I could barely make it through the day without needing a nap. And guys, I have some big fucking dreams, not being able to make it through the day was a luxury I couldn’t afford, not anymore anyway.
Choosing to invest in myself at the same time I was throwing everything I had into getting a business up and running was a HUGE deal, and not a decision I took lightly. I was already stretched super thin in every single area of my life espesh when it came to my time, my energy and my finances but it was time, fuck man was it time!
“Cool story mate, but are you high? What the fuck does exercise have to do with your business kicking goals?”
EVERYTHING – IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH IT!! Yes, I’m yelling! Have I got your attention?!? Good. Kick-off your shoes and get comfy because friends, you’re not going to want to miss a single word of this.
My mind will and does give up WAY before my body and if I simply change the conversation of ‘I can’t do this’ to ‘I fucking CAN and I WILL Do this,’ I can. Calm down I didn’t work this out on my own, a certain trainer always says this on a Friday during the stupid boxing one. Just when you think you can’t possibly continue there’s a whole fucking pod of three different exercises with four sets doing crazy cardio shit. Like what the actual fuck! Anyway, he says it, it’s helpful and it’s stayed with me.
It has made my push through not only psychical barriers but also mental ones. It had me doing 45 mins of burpees despite almost throwing up numerous times. Craaazy.
What did it do for my business? Glad you asked friend…
It’s what had me go from freaking myself out about running my own workshops to a group of people to discovering that I do indeed LOVE ME AN AUDIENCE and public speaking is something I’m realllllllly bloody great at.
I already was resilient AF but F45 reinforces that, daily and by pushing through the conversations of ‘I can’t’ regardless of how loud and real they feel, I barely even recognise myself. It’s a goooooood feeling!
Having someone yelling at me to keep on going despite my mind deciding we were done. Putting the heavier weights in my hand, pushing me to do those five more reps when I had nothing left, when I did not have the strength, when I was so exhausted I didn’t even have the energy to cry. It was the difference between stopping and giving up vs doing things I never once imagined my body was capable of. Including smashing my shin into a metal box but yeah, that’s a story for another time.
I remember sitting there fighting back the urge to simultaneously punch the trainer in the face, vomit and burst into tears that I realised I needed this in my business or I wasn’t going to get anywhere and I wanted to, I had to. Our lives depended on it, so I went and found Steph (the biz coach to end all coaches) and with her I got to work, levelling up way faster than I could have anticipated, minus the injury YAY! Having someone there riding me, cheering for me and watching me closely was the difference between plodding along comfortably and doing shit I never imagined myself capable of.
Coaches, you want be great at something get one! Or be ordinary, your choice.
Showing up consistently is what makes shit happen.
Even when I looked in the mirror and I couldn’t see any noticeable changes. I still showed up.
Even when it took me the entire day to recover and I struggled to stay awake through the arvo. I still showed up.
Even when I’d still be gasping for air 5 mins into every single cardio session while others were breathing as though they’d been on a brisk stroll and barely broke a sweat. I still showed up.
Even when I got on the scales and they went straight back to the 70+ kg mark. I still showed up.
And then it happened. Six months in despite still coming close to death after cardio my recovery is swift. My entire body shape changed. I not only feel and am strong, I fucking look it.
It took six months, showing up at least 4 times a week, every week for six months.
The same thing when applied to business and espesh Pinterest has the kind of results you wanna scream from the rooftops. Even when you feel like nothing is happening, no one is watching, listening or paying attention, by showing up every damn day, especially on the days you don’t want too – Shit starts happening. Your accounts start growing. People start talking. They want to know more, tickets start selling, and all of a sudden you’re not only doing it, you’re killing it and your pins are going viral and you’re drowning in website traffic. Consistency my friends. That old chestnut is fucking KEY!
In order to do things I HAVE to prioritise myself. Sounds pretty fucking obvious right but have you like, tried it? That shit is haaaard.
It meant rescheduling, pushing our days back to start later, getting up earlier. It meant some very rushed mornings, it meant being late to certain things. It meant putting myself first no matter what and honouring that this was MY time for me to do something important to me.
It took MONTHS to make it work, to convince Havana it was a fun way to start the morning, to find the balance in it all, to make choosing me first my automatic go-to reaction but once I developed it, magic happened and the rewards, the strength, the confidence made it all so very worth it.
When my business started requiring more from me to work, making non-negotiable work days/times was a natural reaction. It meant saying no was a total no brainer. It meant that I was not only ready, I knew what had to be done to make shit happen and I didn’t hesitate for a second.
I’m not saying it’s always easy, it’s not and I’m not saying there aren’t any sacrifices, there are too many to count. What it is though is worth it, every time a ticket is sold, someone asks me to speak at an event, I get a DM or someone recommends me. It reminds me just how bloody worth it the whole thing is. All of it. Sacrifices and all.
You see no matter how I’m feeling that day F45 carries me through the workout. You only need to think about what you’re doing, while you’re doing it. No planning required, just rock up and work your way through the session until you get told to stop. Not a single thing to think about other than what you’re doing in that moment.
t takes all decisions out of the equation; it even tells you what to do, how to do it and how long to do it for. So even on the days when I just could not, but I show up anyway because I promised myself that I fucking would, I can, with minimal brainpower required. There’s no giving up, no stopping just getting through each second as it happens.
“Um, don’t know how to tell you this but you can’t do that in biz dickhead.” Awks.
“Well mate, you couldn’t be more wrong!”
We ALL have those days when we just CAN NOT, when not a single productive, creative or income-producing activity is going to happen and forcing it is just going to piss you off even more. And sometimes that day turns into days and as much as you’d like to say fuck it and run away to the Caymans, you can’t.
Instead, I created a daily checklist that as an absolute minimum must be done. Every. Single. Day. This is what keeps my biz doing its thing at a base level. I don’t have to think about it, I just set a timer (yes I’ve allocated a time limit per task) and I do the things on my list that need doing.
Fun Fact: I also have one for if I’m not feeling ok to stop me from packing up and living there for long periods of time. Sometimes all you need is all the thought processes taken out of it and activate full autopilot mode so you can allow yourself some time to fall apart without your biz falling apart.
Having 45 mins a day to just focus on one thing and one thing only has become fucking essential toward me maintaining any kind of mental health.
Every minute of every day is spent multitasking the fuck out of those 60 seconds. As much as I would like to say it’s a bad habit I’ve acquired I actually think it’s just me. It also means that at times I walk around highly strung, ok so like a lot of the time. Well I did, not so much anymore, especially on days that I train.
There’s no multitasking during a workout, during those 45 glorious minutes all there is to do is that one thing that’s on the screen. That’s it. Also I’m usually too fucked to think about anything other than getting through that set. Funnily enough it’s instant sanity.
How does that look in my biz? Time blocking. That’s how! I touched on it earlier when I mentioned about how I use a timer. While that alarm is on only one (ok so I may be writing this, to a timer and listening to a podcast while being aware of what Havana is doing so THREE things at once but that’s good in Ameeland) it’s a work in progress.
I also don’t time block according to a schedule, I mean have you tried having a schedule with kids?! Don’t try it unless you want to be frustrated AF. Instead I write some form of daily/weekly to do list. Then I estimate (over estimating is key here buddy, trust me) hwo long each task will take me and whenever I can, I sit down chuck on that timer and do that one thing until it goes off, or I finish it. Whatever comes first. Time blocking Amee style – you’re welcome.
I’ve always had a certain level of extraordinary confidence but let me tell you the confidence that comes with feeling strong, doing things you would have broken a sweat just thinking about but with ease, having a fuck tonne of energy, and knowing that I both can and do show up even when I don’t want to, that is the super humankind.
The kind of confidence you absolutely can NOT fake. Nothing feels better. Well, you know what does feel better? It carrying through to all areas of your life. Particularly when it comes to my business.
Just like the psychical side associated with F45 training, there are things that I have no idea how the fuck I am going to do or manage or even think of attempting. Then I just do them, like they were nothing. Because if I can push my body to do the kinda things that seemed impossible then just imagine what I can do with my fucking mind. Hint: it’s a LOT!
So now, in my biz, I can set a target and a goal without even worrying about how the fuck I’m going to do it. I simply know and trust that I will because I’m consistent and I’m confident in my abilities to do things I never imagined possible. Including having enough time. Yeah, I went there. And yes, F45 taught me that.
When I joined I legitimately thought I’d simply walk away with the strength to carry Havana through the sand next Summer, that was it. My number one intention was as simple as that. Number two was obvs to rock a bikini cos ya know I’m human and shit. I, however, had not a single clue that it was going to have such a profound influence on my business. I mean I expected it would make running a four-hour workshop substantially easier because OFF ALL THE ENERGY I’d now possess. Obviously.
Not for a second did I think it was going to be the difference between coasting along kinda getting shit done vs instead blowing it the fuck up.
Start of 2019 Amee, you did good. So fucking good.
I acknowledge that I live and work on the traditional lands of the Whadjuk people of the Noongar nation. I pay my respects to all first nations people and to their elders past, present, and emerging.
From being the most
🔥 LIT UP
🔥 MOTIVATED
🔥 CREATIVE
version of you.
One that you can tap into at any given moment.
What the fuck are you waiting for?
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