Career Growing Pains and other Life Happenings

Hi Readers/fellow Attackers.

I wanted to drop a quick post and apologize for the lack of happenings on my blog lately. As anyone who writes a blog comes to discover, life often gets in the way of things. We all have the same 24 hours in a day, but we all have to figure out a way to get everything done within that time. It's not always easy, and there are often many obstacles along the way.

With that said, these past few months have been extremely trying on me for personal reasons. I don't want to spend too much time dwelling on what hasn't been right, but basically my life has been in a state of flux. I had a couple of job opportunities that came up... which all would've been amazing. My ultimate goal, which I haven't really shared with anyone (but which will come as no surprise to anyone) is to move into Group Fitness full time. Not just as an instructor, although that will always be the first love of my life. But I'd like to manage the Group Fitness department at a club that has Les Mills programs, or work for Les Mills directly (most likely a US agency). I also want to become an Attack assessor/trainer/presenter, and just get really involved on a larger scale.

Over the past 4 months (well... a year and a half would be the very beginning, but that's a different story) there has been some almost-opportunities for me to actually make that happen. I spent a good portion of my time in a holding pattern. I kept waiting for answers, and also tried to figure out how to have the rest of life in order should such an opportunity present itself (some of these opportunities would've involved moving to a different state). On top of it all, my lease at my apartment was due to expire so I've had to plan lots of different locations for moving, try to plan life out around different jobs... a couple other personal things happened which I will not share at this time, but which further complicated things... (they aren't bad, they just mean life will change.)

Long story short? None of it came to fruition. At the end of all the waiting, all the stress, all the fighting... life stayed exactly the same. I am moving to a different apartment, but in the same city. I will continue at my same job for now. In the first few days following all of this hooplah, I was a bit depressed and sort of feeling like I had gone through all of this for nothing.

But I'm taking from this something larger. I'm a firm believer in listening to God/Higher Power/whatever you want to call it. What I come away with is the firm decision to make a career change, and I now have a (somewhat fuzzy) roadmap on how to get there. It's no longer a matter of if, it's simply a matter of when. It's amazing to me how, when you finally get on the right path in life, things immediately calm down and work together with you. It's sort of like getting lost on side roads or within a subdivision while looking for the main highway. Once you find it, all the stress goes away... even though you have yet to arrive at your destination.

I think back a few months, or even a year, to when I didn't even think this was within the realm of possibility. I thought I'd just work an 8-5 day job and teach on the side and that would be it. I was working towards a different degree in school, and I was busy. What did I discover? Life kept getting in the way of Group Fitness. Work gets in the way of me taking the class I want to take, I find myself scheduling other appointments and social events around gym time, and I get sad and depressed when I can't go.

I was busy, but I wasn't fulfilled at all. Teaching wasn't enough. If I could, I'd live in a group fitness room. I'd never leave. I'd continue to refuel and just keep taking classes/teaching classes. But I want more... I want to take care of the sound system, and make sure the floors are clean. I want to stand up at the front and ask every person if they have ever tried a group fitness class, and encourage them to join one. I'd love to meet new instructors and help mentor them on their journey. I want to do all of this because I care that much about it. It's not about me, it's about making sure that it gets taken care of by someone who cares. At my current job, we have a manager who literally brings a banjo with him to work and takes 2 hour lunches. He does not fight for us for anything we ask for with his superiors, and he is set to retire in September, although he is already retired... I want more than that for Group Fitness. I want to contribute on a larger scale, or on multiple scales. I love what Group Fitness has done for me, I love what BodyAttack has done for me... and what they continue to do for me. I've now determined that this is it... this is what I was meant to do, and there's no turning back. It feels Right with a capital R. I'm finally in my truth.

And in the meantime, I have been so blessed. Many of my strained relationships at my club have been nourished and are now fantastic. I'm teaming 3-5 times, I've networked some amazing professional connections for the future, and I've also gained one of the best friends life could offer through the whole process... I know where I'm headed and sort of how I'm getting there. I'm set up for success, and life is good.

So, I promise to now be more present on this blog. Thank you all for your messages, thoughts, and urgings to get me writing quicker because you love reading. I'm honored and flattered! I've got a list of posts to get up here and will get cracking. Keep staying tuned, keep turning it up!

Kia Kaha!
Chad