Attitude is Everything

Attitude is Everything

“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” – Winston Churchill

What a wise statement! Our attitude shapes how we interact with others in our daily lives and how they perceive us. As a fitness professional, our attitude can have a big impact on our performance, and our success.

Chances are, if you work for a fitness facility, you were hired based on your competency as a personal trainer, fitness instructor or specialist, as well as your enthusiasm during the interview. Now that you’re part of the team, your challenge is to maintain that positivity at work—toward your employer, your co-workers and the work you do. And most importantly, you need to create motivation, support and inspiration for your clients.

And, if you’re self-employed, you already know that a positive attitude is central to the success of your business and your career. No one wants to work with a habitual grump.

What’s causing that bad attitude?

If you find your attitude turning to the negative more often than not, your first step should be to try to get to the root of what’s causing your unhappiness at work.

• Are you constantly conflicting with a co-worker?
• Is it a personal issue that may have nothing to do with your job?
• Are you burned out?
• Is there a client who makes doing your job difficult?

Try to isolate the causes of your poor mood and find ways to change those instigators.

While you may love being a fitness trainer or instructor, it’s often not the work itself that can cause discontentment, but rather the work environment. Before you accept a position in a gym or fitness facility, it’s important to be sure that you clearly understand the expectations and requirements of the job. Some variation from the initial expectation is understandable, but it’s possible that some differences will be harder to accommodate. These can cause a strained working relationship between you and your employer—and, ultimately, a bad attitude.

If you determine that job burn-out is the reason for your lack of enthusiasm, one way to combat it is to create a record of your accomplishments and a list of new goals you want to achieve. Revving up your competitive spirit and giving yourself something to work toward can renew your outlook and get you back on track. Perhaps learning a new skill to enhance your professional training can also give you the boost you need.

Benefits of a positive attitude

Whether you’re a professional trainer, fitness instructor or an athletic training specialist, a positive attitude can make a big impact on your career. It can help you:

Increase the probability of optimal performance. When you perform at your best, you’re able to achieve your top goal—making your clients better equipped to get the results they want.

Reduce accidents or unintentional incidents. If you have a negative attitude, you’re likely mentally distracted by what’s bothering you, and you may not even realize it. When you lose your focus, you’re more likely to give poor instruction, inviting errors, injury or even accusations that you’re not delivering the service the client is expecting from you.

Achieve a good reputation and advance in your fitness profession. Positive people are often the first to be considered for promotions, advancements and word-of-mouth referrals, usually based on their “can do” attitude and their constructive approach to difficult situations. And, if you decide to move on in your career, you’re more likely to get glowing references from your past employers if you’ve worked hard and, above all, had a good attitude.

Ultimately you are in control of your attitude, and can choose to be an optimist or a pessimist. You have to consciously decide how you will let the world around you influence your attitude. Oftentimes, with just a little grace and empathy, you can avoid letting a situation get the best of you.

Check out more tips on how you can enhance your career as a personal training professional.