Navy Seals, known to do be different and do what they want – when you don’t quit, you’ve earned the right. (Special thanks to all our troops fighting for our freedom overseas.)
“Being all you can be” is a common cliche, but is a very, very worthy goal. When you think about it, you could say that it’s the purpose of living (it’s a shame the army dropped it as their tag line in their advertising, and I’ve heard their enrollment has dropped ever since).
When it comes to the road you’re on to be everything you can be, when you look around, you no doubt see many people that already have this kind of life and are already there.
What you also may notice is that they’re no smarter, stronger, driven, deserving, or didn’t have any more of interesting of an upbringing or story than you.
They just may have been exposed to influences that you weren’t exposed to, and therefore made decisions that you didn’t make.
When it comes to these decisions in life, we’re tempted to think they’re not life or death. I mean, it’s not like being in the military where a wrong choice will get you killed. In life, when you face trouble or resistance, you can always quit.
When it comes to quitting, I have an interesting story to tell you …
I have a friend of mine who was in the Navy for some time, and he told me what it was like for the first few weeks.
For the first three weeks, they ask you all the time if you want to quit. Whenever you look like you’re about to wimp out or you have that look on your face like you can’t handle it, they’ll just blatantly come in your face and ask you “hey, do you want to quit?”.
If you want to quit, you can just go over and ring out. They make it very simple to quit, but is it really? Here’s what really happens …
When you do quit, they don’t let you go home right away. You have to hang out for a few weeks until it’s time to ship out. You have to turn in your finely pressed uniform. You’re not allowed to partake in any more classes, drills, or activities. You just have to wear sweats, hang out with the other quitters, and walk around bored to death.
They make you do this for weeks before they allow you to leave. This also acts as a discouragement because all of the other people that are still in training see the pathetic conditions that the quitters are left in.
When he told me this story, the significance of it really hit me. Because quitting in life is the same way except the period of shame doesn’t just last for a few weeks: it lasts for a lifetime. You have to go around, bored to death, looking shabby, with nothing to do, and hang out with all the other quitters while you watch the people just like you in every way (just different because they refused to quit) get to do all the fun interesting stuff, and get all the glory and accomplishments.
Unlike the military, when you quit and give up, it’s not something that passes after a few weeks. You have to live with it for a lifetime. Whatever your goal and whatever road you’re on, I just have one piece of advice for you: don’t quit.
————————————————————————–
The NEW SIX-FIGURE TRAINER PROGRAM IS COMING:
(Keep an eye on your email inbox for updates.)
Awesome email and post Kaiser. This is really some great wisdom from a true industry vet. Keep it coming brother, and thanks.
Hey Kaiser – killer post man!
I can’t agree with you more. Whenever I’ve screwed up in my life, it’s because I’ve quit right before I got to my goal. When it comes to trainiing, I made a committment not to quit, and finally things are getting the way I want them to be.
I have to admit there were some hard times there. But your blog kept me through it, and your products have helped. I now have 12 regular clients and am making more than even my dad every made in his life.
So I can vouch for everything you said above, and to anyone reading this, I’d give the exact same advice – never quit!
Some more killer wisdom from the master! Great post and even better email about competition. Can’t wait to check out the new course.
Type your comment here…The competition is always fierce
here on the Beach in florida especially south beach.
I would love to crush all the competition. As I do not have too much respect for about 85-90% of trainers. The remaining 10% is who I copete against. They like me are high quality trainers. I would want to know more detail about the business aspect of training. I know how to train people and develop trust,rapport and all the warm sentiment I also motivate. But I get HOT when I see other trainers with half my ability making more money because they are better at marketing or maybey they have Kaisers products. lol Quiting, Sorry the thought honestly never enered my mind so I am not qualified to answer this question. Really I’m an ex-competitive body builder. The only thing that stopped me from going pro was a car accident that severly damaged my body (broke my back in 2 places and almost lost my right leg. The surgeon said I got to keep my leg because of all the hours of hard traing in the gym. Also I walk without a limp (the dr.s said I would never walk without a cain or severe limp. Hell I run a mile in about 6mininutes but thats because one leg is now shorter as aresult of accident. So I would be a pro by now if not for that. I take what life throws at me and throw it back or keep it as a pet.
-Pete
Great comment Peter – yup, you definitely are hanging strong and are a competitor for sure. Good luck to you buddy.
Gangster ass post.
Loved the GI Jane reference. I remember that scene, and it’s one of my favorite movies of all time. Let me know if you remember this one – it has a lot to do with quitting too:
“I never saw a wild thing feel sorry for itself.
A bird can drop stone dead from a bough, without ever having felt sorry for itself.”
Hey Casey – I can really relate to your story. I was very frustrated as a trainer when I was working at a gym. I had left college (just like you Kaiser), and thought being a trainer would be great, but was extremely frustrated.
This site gave me the confidence to get my own clients, and I can’t tell you how thrilled I am now because of it. It’s all because I didn’t quit.
And I’m usually not the type to brag, but it feels good to make more than all of your friends, and watch all what they have to go through. Of my four best friends from school, two of them still have not found a steady job since graduation, and the other two are really miserable. I was extremely jealous of them when they graduated, and now the shoe’s on the other foot!
Like I said, I don’t take pleasure in other people’s struggles. It feels good because I know that I didn’t give up, stuck to it, and made it work. Kaiser, your blog and products have been a tremendous help.
To anyone else thinking about quitting, don’t do it. Tough it out and you’ll make it too.
– Raquelle
Has anyone else noticed that a lot of the youth today want everything all at once?
They want to be the CEO of a company by the end of their probationary period and a paycheck to match.
Accreditation companies are appealing to these guys with the notion that they can enrol in a 12 week pt course and walk into a job paying $50 an hour…which of course isn’t the reality at all, so of course they end up quitting within 6 months.
It has to come back to why someone becomes a trainer in the first place to how passionate and patient they will be within the role.
If you’re in the fitness industry purely for the money, do the real personal trainers a favour and quit now, because in the long people with those kind of motivations only tarnish the industry for the rest of us.
p.s Great post as usual Kaiser!
Ben
I would like to sing a song that says, I never quit! I never quit!
Great article!
Luis
You’re so right Kaiser – it’s so easy to quit, but when you do, you have to realize you need to live with the consequences.
Great motivational concepts here Kaiser. I loved this post and the email, and am looking forward to the new course.
I have to say I wasn’t much of a believer in training until I started to read you blog (and some of the other blogs you have recommended and I have seen advertised here).
But just like Raquelle and Casey talked about, I started to become a believer. And once that attitude change happened, the results starting to come.
To anyone that’s doubting whether or not you can make it as a trainer, just do a good job and hang in there. Also buy Kaiser’s course to help you figure out how to be a real trainer. Then, just give it a little time. That’s what I did, and I’m really happy I did!
Congratulations on the release of the new product Kaiser! I’m definitely going to pick up a copy, just plain for the fact that you’ve given me tons of info that’s helped me out a lot. Can’t wait to hear what’s going to be in it and I’m sure it’s going to be spectacular!
Hey guys – glad everyone got some good value out of this post. This message on quitting is real important, so it was important to talk about.This story hit home to me too, because it’s a metaphor for what we all go through in our “arena”.
Great post, Straight to the point and on the money as usual.