It seems like every time I turn around anymore there's some new company in the fitness business offering me ways to grow my business. All I have to do is buy their program, and all my problems will be solved. I've purchased some of these programs myself (NPE being one of them), put the tools to work for me, and have had some good success. There is one very important lesson I've learned from this process and I want to begin sharing it with you piece by piece, because it is clear to me now that ALL of these programs are missing one very important component...

You may or may not know that I'm a licensed corporate health coach intoxicating online . As such, the philosophies of coaching are built right in to my personal training practice and what we offer here at The Fitness Nomad

is extremely unique as a result. But it's not just the coaching that makes it unique, it's me, my philosophy, my gifts, my expertise, and my extensive level of experience and background. Somehow, in the pursuit of rapid wealth and growth opportunity, I let these truths slip away a bit. I'm OK now, and business is moving forward again, but in a new, more personal, energetic and sustainable fashion.

In the coming weeks and months I will likely write more and more about this experience and how it's changing the way I do business. I also plan to launch a coaching service designed to help others find their passion and stick with it. Make no mistake about it, if you're passionate, and you work smart, you WILL be successful. Just remember that there is NO MAGIC BULLET! Ultimately, it is up to you to use the tools in a way that enhances what you already offer. Personalize them and the concepts you learn. Any other means is lazy, crazy, and loaded with self doubt. That will get you into trouble every time.

Working smart is the key. The other really important parts of the puzzle are knowing your numbers and building a business model that you know you can sustain and that provides for slow and steady growth that won't topple the tower. I personally got going so fast and furious that my business became a game of Jenga, a house of cards with too many jokers. One or two false moves, a spasm of the economy, and I found myself in a compromising position. Though I have been reluctant to share more of my challenges, I've decided that there are likely others out there struggling with the same truths about what their business should or is really designed to do. And if you're interested in having a conversation about it, I will be available by telephone this Friday for FitnessProBlogger office hours from 3-4 PM CST. You can call 608-831-9998.

In the mean time, I can tell you one thing for sure. The more I ground myself, and plug in to the support network available to me, the better things go. One of my personal passions is my writing and more and more it is clear that when I share my thoughts through this medium business grows and I grow as a person. So, stay tuned to this blog for more on this topic and I look forward to your comments which you can post below.

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To subscribe to the FitnessProBlogger.com content service, you can click here. This service offers one health and fitness article per week and two press releases per month that you can use for your blog, newsletter, etc. I followed my instincts one day and wrote a press release about the safety hazards of balloons. Three years later, I still have my own fitness segment on Channel 15 news here in Madison every other Friday (See the Channel 15 News segments category on this blog for some of the recent segments). You can benefit directly from all my writing (but only if you think it's right for you) for only $37 per month with no long term commitment. You can email me if you have any questions...john@exercisecareers.com