Farewell to Invigorate
It has been my great pleasure to work for Invigorate for the last four years. As pretty much a small town country boy at heart and very much a true blue Aussie, mixing with the wealthy, distinguished and powerful residents of Barnes- London could have been daunting. It has not been!
I have been charmed and enriched by you all. I feel I have been strengthened by my association with the clients with whom I have been lucky enough to work and have learnt so much about life in doing so. I have grown emotionally, philosophically, in a business sense and certainly culturally through the experience and for this I am very thankful. It gives me an edge entering the next step of my journey. So thanks, to the clients of Invigorate, for teaching me about life.
Four years ago the company was Adam and myself and only a handful of clients and now there are two studios, five trainers and a range of clients ranging from 8 – 76 years!
It has been most rewarding to watch the place evolve and develop, largely due to the hard work put in by Adam by creating the right team and incorporating the right systems.
Additionally it has been amazing to watch the clients I have worked with change both physically and in attitude and self belief toward their exercise capabilities. I think back on many of you to ‘how you were’ and look at ‘how you are now’ and it is a real transformation, which I have gotten so much out of by playing a role in.
In making such an effort it is always what you become through it that matters. I have witnessed some big changes not just in performance but in confidence and attitudes. The job is largely giving but I’ve managed to get much back. To witness an entire transformation in a person is a very gratifying thing, especially when the transformation is so positive.
The ‘one on one’ environment at Invigorate made it a very interesting place to work. I could train eight people in a row and need a totally different style for each and had to learn to react and adapt quickly to uncover what motivational technique best suited them. Are they here to be counseled, instructed, punished, rehabilitated, to lose weight, for a sport specific target, to be educated about health and fitness or just for a chat, or for a little of a lot of things? Will they respond to a drill sergeant or to a gentle approach? Do you coax them along or demand they do it? The reading and changing from session to session was what I found both challenging and rewarding and it was the thing I enjoyed the most. That, and trying to control habits and practices, externally to the studio.
When I first came from Australia I worked with athletes and had a very ‘they must adapt to me’ attitude. It was easy to have because they were all so similar. You just say “lift this weight, run that speed, eat this way” and you will succeed. I carried this attitude into other areas of my life and I believe it held me back.
I’ve now changed because I‘ve learnt that you must adapt to others to get the best out of them and you must recognise that everyone is an individual, with totally different variables, so they react differently to the same thing. You can’t be the same with everyone. I will take this knowledge with me into my next career and already have incorporated it into all my relationships.
This is the main thing this job has taught me and it’s all due to the range of interesting and different clients I have had to work with. You’ve all taught me a lot!
Additionally, I have been lucky enough to work with a great team of guys, all of whom have become good mates. They each bring unique styles and strengths to the table and yet we all gel as a unit, to aid each client toward their stated goals. That is what made Invigorate great to work for, too. In other studios it’s an ‘every trainer for themselves’ attitude and we are precisely the opposite. We’re a team.
I also feel that whilst professional boundaries were never crossed, my clients felt more like friends and I will miss you all loads. However, I will not cry because it is over but just smile because it happened.
I have had an amazing four years here. It is not ‘good bye’, just ‘see you later’. The guys have said they’ll keep me posted on everyone’s progress, so I’ll know how you are all going. I will be back in the UK for sure and perhaps some of you will visit Australia.
Until then, eat, live and train smart. It’s all down to your own self belief toward any goal or target. If you think you can you will! – Brett