Ethics . . . and Elevating

I posted something on Facebook earlier today about my love for the field of fitness and the arena of personal trainers.  I alluded to the virtues of integrity, morality, and respect when they show up guided by the pursuit of excellence, the pursuit of helping others find betterment in their own lives, and the continued desire to do it more often and better.

That came out of yet another story of yet another personal trainer who underhandedly worked to “steal the staff” of the health club owner who employed him as a director.  It isn’t an odd story.  It’s a common one, and it’s always somehow justified by a villianizing of the owner, of the facility, of the management, or of an action or change.  The reality is, the owner supplied a roof, a member base, training, and an opportunity and if growth requires moving on, it need not require “taking.”  Perhaps it’s a lesson people have to learn, or perhaps it’s simply the undeveloped moral core of many who are attracted to our field.  Whatever it is, it doesn’t align with my own moral compass.  I don’t get upset by it.  Instead I accept it, I frown for a moment, and then I smile as I come to realize how greatly I appreciate the rare breed of trustworthy professional who commits to a life as a human catalyst for positive change.  I recognize the strength, virtue, and character of someone who approaches human betterment with ego pushed to the side and a sense of pure purpose as a guiding force.  Perhaps what shows up in place of ego is . . . ethics.

In embarking upon a discussion of ethics, we must consider two words, integrity and morality.   They are not the same.  Integrity is “being whole,” being on the inside what you appear on the surface, acting similarly given a similar set of circumstances.

If I were to suggest that with integrity trust is earned, loyalty grows, and the sense of being reliable evolves, most people would agree, until we better understand the word.

Consider that a thief may be dishonest through and through.  He or she may see the virtue in playing Robin Hood, in stealing from the undeserving rich, in lying, scheming, and manipulating.  In other words, when someone has integrity, that doesn’t’ suggest morality is imminent.  Perhaps it would be better said, integrity doesn’t ensure the alignment of the sense of “what is right.”

I’ve grown numb to the stories of personal trainers who build their business by soliciting clients in someone else’s health club and making the leap attempting to take a stable of clients with them.  I’ve come to recognize, almost expect, that an employee who says “I want to learn from you” as a primary reason for seeking a position is ultimately going to want to amass what you have . . . with little consideration for the gifts or treasures of education and mentoring.  I can’t fault anyone for doing what they think is right, but I can say that when integrity, morality, and respect align, you have a uniquely strong character, and if you equip that character with the pursuit of excellence, an eternally moving target, you have someone who represents a true professional.

I’ve befriended and aligned with those true professionals.  I appreciate the willingness to rise above, to hold onto morality when temptation pulls against it.  I’ve directed my efforts over the last few years to speak, not to the entirety of the field, but to those who have the “stuff” I’m referring to, or at least the potential for it.

My ASPIRE program is structured with that in mind.  It isn’t for every personal trainer. In fact, it’s for the rare few.  It takes effort, it takes an open mind.  It takes the pushing aside of ego.  It requires a willingness to not only think outside the realm of your initial fitness education, but to dismiss many of the ideas and theorems you might have held as truths.

Here’s the beauty of the program.  It elevates.

ASPIRE elevates your power to help others restore lost health.

ASPIRE elevates your ability to connect with the medical field in a peer-to-peer manner.

ASPIRE elevates your earnings.

ASPIRE elevates your reach in your immediate universe.

I’d encourage you to examine the curriculum to see if it aligns with your own compass.  The ASPIRE program isn’t “sexy,” it’s genuine. It isn’t “hype,” it’s power.  If you want to see what you’re truly capable of, if you want to understand the true shortcomings in our medical field and understand how you can step in with real solutions, if you want to understand how far beyond “Abs and Glutes” your true power goes, register for ASPIRE.  It begins this month!  You can attend from anywhere.  It’s affordable, and . . . you’ll be in very good company.

Are you one of the rare few?  Review the Curriculum and . . . REGISTER for the 16 hour course that will forever alter the path of your career . . . from a well traveled course to an extraordinary one.