 I attend a lot of group fitness and yoga classes. Actually, I’m obsessed with working out alongside a bunch of other sweaty people. It’s extremely motivating and a lot more fun than spending an hour on the treadmill. Plus, I greatly enjoy the connection and community.
When I visited my parents over Christmas break, I had no choice but to exercise solo. Don’t get me wrong. Home practices are excellent for many reasons. You go at your own pace and listen to what your body needs rather than submissively following the cues of the instructor. You know… Headstand followed by 30 jumping jacks? Sure! Why not? ;) The only problem? No one is watching you. You hold the timer. You’re the counter and the coach. Sometimes it’s no biggie. But often times you slack off...at least a little bit. Instead of doing 20 push ups, you do 12. Maybe you skip all the chaturangas and go straight to down dog. You workout for 45 minutes, not 60. It’s completely normal to act and work differently when you’re with people versus being alone. Duh. But the other day I noticed how particularly hard I was pushing myself in a YOD class. It made me think...I would never work this hard if I was in my own living room. So I asked the question, “Why do I perform better when I’m in public?” And, “What if I worked like someone was watching...all the time?” (Well, that would be super creepy, Greta…) The point is, when you’re ‘on stage’ or ‘showing off,’ you tend to put in more effort.You feel held accountable. Your performance seems more important when observers are present. And the truth is, people are watching. Whether you like it or not. Someone, and probably more people than you realize, are paying attention to you. And if you’re working towards a bigger audience or more followers, expect that number to grow and grow. Everything you do (or don’t do) matters. The work, or lack thereof, makes a difference. If you want to be impactful and influential, it’s important you pay extra close attention to your thoughts, words and actions...every moment of every day. TAKE (POSITIVE, INSPIRED) ACTION! Just for today, pretend you have a devoted admirer shadowing your every move.How would you show up? What kind of awareness would you bring to the table? Try it out! ...Just for one day. Comments are closed.
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