What's your story and why's it important?

A lot of personal trainers have a story to share.

One of those stories is why you decided to become a personal trainer.

Did you have a passion for sport, a personal health struggle, an injury, or maybe someone you cared about was snuggling with their health and wanted to help them? There are many different reasons we choose to become personal trainers, and it's nice to know the why behind what you do.

But should you share your story, and if so, how?

Most people think they don't have an exciting story to share, but I believe you do. I've worked with a lot of personal trainers who thought their story was boring, but once I get them talking, we find loads of great stories to share.

I'm yet to find a personal trainer that doesn't have an interesting story.

We all have an interesting story to share.

I wish my Grandfather had written his story. On the outside looking in, he was a dairy farmer for most of his life. But, he and Grandma both volunteered for Community Aid Abroad and spent many years living in Pupa Niugini and Vanuatu, teaching English and farming skills.

I know this experience changed my grandparents' lives; it was one of the happiest times of their lives. But I don't know the stories that made this time so special to them.

The process of writing your story, and pulling out the interesting parts, helps you to uncover moments of transformation. These moments of change are the valuable moments, the emotional moments, the struggles, failures and successes that have made you into the person you are today.

Writing your story is a great way to process your own stuff. It's not about publishing an autobiography or writing a screenplay, it's simply an exercise to reconnect with your hero's journey.

No one may ever see what you write but you, but you are the one who needs to see it. Although, when you uncover your transformational moments, you might feel the need to share them. It's often surprising how many people have experienced a similar story and shared a similar transformation. 

What's the benefit of writing your story?

The most significant benefit comes from stepping out of the present moment and reflecting on all the fantastic things you've accomplished over the years.

We've all had our own hero's journey, and we all have stories worth sharing.

It can be interesting to see the turning points in your life and the obstacles you've overcome. It's also interesting to see the character you've become, and it's far from boring.

"What's your purpose in life?" can be a tricky question for many people. How do you know you're living your purpose? When you reflect on your story, you create an opportunity to reflect on your values. When you pause and take a moment to revisit the transformation, you start to see the shy behind the direction you've been choosing to take.

Why did you choose this path over all other options?

What was important to you at this time?

Would you make the same decision today, and if not, why not? 

What's changed, or what have you learnt that changed your way of thinking?

I'm confident that your story includes moments of growth that you've never stopped to think about before. When we're living in the moment, we often overlook these incredible stages of development and don't fully grasp their meaning.

As we revisit the past and write our story, we need to be careful not to step into the role of the victim. It can be easy to point the finger and blame our mistakes or failure on others. But, instead of going down that rabbit hole, try to step into the role of the hero and see how you overcame life's challenges and keep moving forward.

How you choose to write your story matters.

As I mentioned, you need to write your story as your hero's journey. All heroes face villains and challenges, and through these experiences, their characters transform. In fact, one of the most powerful parts of a hero's journey is the obstacles they've managed to overcome.

What obstacles have you overcome? 

What was your life like before you overcame this obstacle?

What were you like after you overcome this obstacle?

What did you learn, and how has this experience transformed you?

In 2010, I decided to leave the comfort of the commercial gym and build a new personal training business at a private personal training studio in Shoreditch, London. 

It was a small gym with three squat racks, two cable machines, a couple of pull-up bars, dumbbells from 3kg to 40kg, barbells and weights. Oh, and a few cardio machines that I hardly ever used with my clients. 

The P.T studio lacked a lot of the equipment and space of the commercial gym, but it was a lovely space, and all the equipment was new.

Initially, business was slow. 

I'd managed to move some of my clients over from the commercial gym, but not all of them were willing to travel the extra distance. The private P.T studio had zero footfall. It wasn't open to the public, and social media marketing wasn't a thing back then, or maybe I just had no clue how to use it.

I was worried that I'd made the wrong move and wouldn't be able to rebuild my business. 

I was worried that I would fail and my trainer career was over? 

Maybe I could beg for my old job back? 

It was heartbreaking. I thought I was ready for the next step in my P.T career. But maybe I wasn't. Perhaps I needed more knowledge and experience before I could leave the comfort of the commercial gym and build my own business.

But, gradually, through referrals, words of the month and training one of the coffee baristas at the local coffee shop around the corner (I'd offered to train her for free as long as she'd tell her customers about her personal training session), I started to find more clients. 

In a few months, I had a full list of clients, and I was making more money than in the commercial gym days.

It turns out I'd made the right move, and with some help from the local coffee barista, I'd quickly built a successful personal training business.

Not only did this help improve my confidence, but it also allowed me to invest in further education and then increase my prices. I was free to make my own business decisions and build a career aligned with my visions and goals.

It can be a remarkable thing to write about these transformations.

I'm willing to bet your life is interesting.

I'm also willing to bet that you've overcome a lot of obstacles to get to where you are today.

If you've not written your story, I encourage you to do so. It will help you find your values, discover your purpose, connect with your audience, and much more.

As part of The Protect The Asset business coaching program, I ask all members to write their stories. We use this exercise to discover who we are as coaches and want to become.

Writing your story helps you to see your values more clearly and discover what's truly important to you.

Once you know this, you can start building a business that aligns with your purpose and values.