Connecting.

The first step is the hardest. 

We're cautious. We're scared. We have other things to do. 

I spend a good deal of time during a new client's first session engaged in conversation. I want to know the person I'll be working with, and I want to hear, from them, why they've made the first step to come and see me. 

During this initial meeting, I often talk about the concept of CONNECTING. To me, finding the connection is the spark that propels you to the summit of whatever you are climbing. It's the moment when you stop thinking and start doing. 

I try to convey that this connection can come in many ways, and at any time. In the realm of exercise, starting a new regimen is a tough task. You have to commit, make time, and get yourself to the gym. But I have found that through repetition of those tasks, you will reach a point at which this new endeavor becomes not only part of your life, but part of you. That's the connection point. 

Once you've connected, you don't make excuses. You workout. If you have to miss a session, you reschedule it. You don't skip it. You recognize the fluidity of life and the need for flexibility, but, at the same time, you recognize that you have no choice but to honor the commitment. You've made the investment, and if you skip one session, then another and another, you will wind up back where you started. You recognize that there will be ups and downs, and periods of low motivation, but, once connected, you know that those are temporary. 

Connection happens everywhere, of course. Not just in the gym.

It's up to you to recognize it, be patient as you walk towards it, and, once it happens, to keep moving forward.