12 years and 100 episodes of our One Percent Better podcast later, I’ve gained a ton of insight and important lessons along the way – as a business owner, but also as a human being, too. The experience of owning a business at 20 years old, and building it into something successful as it is 12 years later does not come easy, that’s for sure. It’s been an incredibly rewarding journey that I don’t take for granted. I’ve met thousands of amazing individuals, my team and I have helped transform the lives of thousands of people, and together we all have created such an incredible impact within the Yorkton and surrounding community.
That’s an impressive feat that is always so humbling to look back on.
So in those 12 years and the last 100 episodes of One Percent Better, here are 8 secrets that CrossFit FUNCTION has taught me:
The Hardest Part About Your Journey Is Following Through
Generating ideas about the things you want to do are easy. Creating change in our lives is hard. The carry-through and the action are the pieces of the puzzle that people struggle with the most, no matter what the situation at hand is. For the first 9 years of business, we accepted anyone and everyone into our membership with a simple conversation of, “Here are the fees, when would you like to start?” We didn’t ask anything about them, what their goals were, or what they were trying to accomplish.
In the last 3 years, all potential members meet with us for a No Sweat Intro. This key addition to our intake process has resulted in massive results for our clients. This provided the opportunity for us to understand why they were truly here, and what they really wanted to accomplish. When we knew what they wanted to do, we could show them what they needed to do. This became a key piece to helping our members achieve results.
We were able to take it one step further and help our clients achieve long-lasting success because we would regularly check in on their progress via our Goal Review Sessions. Meeting with our clients every 90 days meant that we could keep our finger on the heartbeat of their goals, adjust them, and hold them accountable through their journey. In our previous methods of operation, our clients would fall off on their own and we would have no idea why, or even that they had. With greater layers of investment and accountability by our coaching staff, our members now see greater results and greater value in their journey.
If You Want To Change Your Life, Surround Yourself With Those Who Already Have Done What You’re Trying To Do
The health and fitness journey can be a lonely one. You’ve got to maneuver your family situation, your social situation, your work environment, and many other external impacting factors. These things can be incredibly challenging when you’re trying to overhaul your lifestyle and put yourself down a healthier path. Our goal was to create a culture that would inspire others, and pull each other up. I think over the last 12 years, we can truly say that we have accomplished this. Each day I see a member inspire another, and each day I am continually inspired by our members. When we see what is possible by others achieving great things, it makes it easier for ourselves to believe that we can get there, too.
You Have To Take Chances, And Live On The Outside Of Your Comfort Bubble If You Want To Make Progress
This lesson has presented itself to me in different ways over the last 12 years. Sometimes it presents itself in a member gritting it out to try a new skill and pleasantly surprising themselves with their newly found capabilities. Other times it’s a trusting conversation I have with a nutrition client who finally decides to go all in on themselves and become healthier. At it’s most basic principal, sometimes it’s a potential member deciding they will put off the daily Starbucks $6 frappacino so they can afford to join and give themselves the opportunity to improve their life. If you want to do something you’ve never been able to do, you will have to take some chances, and you will have to be uncomfortable for a little while. Which then brings me to my next lesson…
Complacency Has No Place In Your Journey
The theme over the last 12 years that I’ve come across with the members of CFF is that just joining the gym is never enough for them. They become a part of the membership and the see all the things that they might be capable of. They start exploring the edges, and taking on new challenges. These new challenges lead to other new challenges, and before they know it, their world is always ever-changing because there’s never a point where they’re happy settling. They become a person who always strives to be better than their yesterday version. That’s admirable.
You’re Going To Face Tough Decisions, And How You Conduct Yourself Through Those Decisions Will Build Your Character
The thing that I see most people gain during their time with us at CFF is their courage. Their courage and their confidence are two things that grow immensely as they learn and evolve through their membership with us. Up above I mentioned that the health and fitness journey for most of us is lonely. It’s lonely, but it also faces immense pressure from the outside. Your social circle wants you to go with them, and your immediate circle pressures you about the money you’re spending. The stay-at-home mom for the last 18 years is sick of feeling like she’s last on the list of importance. All through your journey you are going to be pressed from different sides. Those who aren’t deep rooted in their why’s will be too easily swayed. But thankfully, we put a lot of emphasis on understanding your deeper ‘why’ and how to act with intention surrounding it. Our members continue to put themselves first when they book and attend their sessions, with the schedule worked around that hour at the gym. They put themselves first when they learn how to manage social situations out at a restaurant but help them fit it into their nutrition plan in a way that makes them feel socially successful. Watching people grow courage and confidence during their time with us has been one of my favourite parts of the last 12 years. It’s resulted in better relationships, promotions at work, quitting jobs they hated and following their true passions, building a family, overcoming disease.. you name it. Those are special moments for my team and I.
Your Key To The Next Level Is In Asking For Help
How many times have we tried to do things on our own? No matter what the subject is in that scenario, we have all been there — myself included. We know what we have to do, but we just can’t do it. We keep trying, and before we know it all of this time has passed us by, and we’ve probably spent a lot of money trying to figure it out on our own. I always commend the people who meet with us for a No Sweat Intro because it takes a lot of courage to even book that appointment. Nevermind that – it takes a lot of courage to recognize you need to make a change, and even more to seek out help. But you can save yourself a lot of time, energy, and money by asking for help from those who have already done it. They are there to guide you through the process and show you how to do it while making less mistakes, saving yourself time, focusing your energy on the things that matter, and save yourself a lot of money along the way. This idea holds true whether you start right at the beginning in booking an NSI with us, or somewhere down the line you want to book in a Skill Session with a CFF Coach to understand why you always get back pain while deadlifting, or how you can finally achieve a pull-up. The most courageous step is asking for help with your nutrition, arguably. “I know what I need to do,” is something I hear in every single meeting. For sure – but that’s not the point. Action is, and a coach can help you do this 100% of the time across the board. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Who You Started Out As, May Not Be Who You End Up As
I bring this one up because I have watched thousands of people come through our doors and every single one of them grow in some degree. Not only does this talk to my members, but it extends to me, too. I have grown as a business owner, a coach, a mentor, and as a human being over the last 12 years, solely because of the journey we all have been through, together. And to me, this is the greatest part of it all. To surround yourself with people that challenge you in these ways, and to surround yourself in an environment that will always continually push you forward – what more could you ask for? When one person struggles, we all come together. When one person succeeds, we all shout from the rooftop. I am 100% certain that not a single person within the membership right now can say that they have not grown since their first day with us. The culture and the environment at CFF enables this. This is a favourite part of the whole entire journey for me – watching people grow.
Creating Moments Are The Most Important Part
I’ll end this post with a personal one for me. As I was reminiscing over the lessons I have learned through the last 12 years, this one stood out the most. The thing that kept drawing up for me were all these series of “moments.” Pictures that I recall because they’re burned into my mind. People that I have crossed paths with that I will never forget. First pull-ups, first rope climbs, PR’s on deadlifts, first handstand push-ups, first PUSH-UPS! All the “firsts” that I’ve seen over the years, oh my gosh. When I look back on all of these moments, the thing that graces every one of them? Smiles. That’s the lesson that I’ve gained the most wisdom from.
Create an environment where people feel safe, where they feel welcome, where they’re continually challenged, and they will succeed. Create a culture that puts people first, makes people feel seen and heard, a culture that genuinely cares about the wellbeing of each member, and they will succeed.
There’s been so much that I’ve gained over the last 12 years that it’s hard to fit it into a simple podcast episode. It’s been fun looking back and filtering through all the lessons to pick some of the best concepts, but we are no where near done. There are many years ahead to still learn many more things, and I am grateful of all the people who have crossed my path in the past, currently stand by our side, or those in the future that will trust us with their health and fitness.
If CFF has helped change your life in any way, please share your story with us. You can send us a note here, or post on our social media. I would love to share your story of impact with my team, so they can understand the depth of their reach they have on our member’s lives.
If you’re looking for an opportunity to take back control and make some change in your life, start with a No Sweat Intro with one of our coaches. We’d love to sit down and chat with you. You can book that in here.
