get uncomfortable

I finally did it!

It took six years, but I did it!

I was a little uncomfortable, nervous, scared (don't tell anyone), embarassed and I felt like a 6 year old child.

Let me paint the picture of what happened six years ago.........

I worked in a huge multi sports complex (PCYC) in Brisbane.

We would often get large sporting groups come in to use the facilities (schools, sporting teams, government groups)

But this one week, the Branch manager told me that Brian Kerle was coming to train some up and coming basketball athletes.

Now, if you are asking who is Brian Kerle (go ask your mum or dad!)

He was the Australian Olympic basketball coach for many years and he was the Brisbane Bullets coach for many more years.

Brian is like the Wayne Bennet of Basketball (he probably wouldn't like being referred to this way, so maybe best you don't tell him :)

I'm not a huge basketball fan (female beach volleyball is my thing) but I have a lot of time for people who have excelled in their industry.

So I made the decision that I was going to chat to Brian when he came in that afternoon...

He was due to come in at 5.30pm.

It was currently 10am.

Only 7 and a half hours to wait for my chance to say g'day to someone I highly admire.

Plenty of time to plan a great story to tell Mr Kerle, have him laugh to the point of tears and him and I become the best of buddies!

Or (as it turned out) plenty of time to work up a great deal of stress, nerves and thoughts of me completely making a fool of myself.

So, it goes without saying that when Brian came in that afternoon I was a bumbling mess!

I tried to get my name out and instead of saying "Hi Brian, my name is Matt", what came out was something more like what you would say after a dip in a freezing bath.

"HHHi bbbbbbBrian, MMMY nnnname iiiis MMMMMMatt"

Very confident and comfortable , I know :)

For the next six years this day plagued me no end.

Any time I met someone who I was looking forward to meeting I would think of THAT day and how I spoke like a 6 month old baby!

My head conjured up images of THAT day and how I begged myself not to act like that again.

Think about that for a second...

"I begged myself not to act like that"

As if in some way "myself" wasn't me and how I was asking this 'other me' to PLEASE be on it's best behaviour.

The funny thing is only I can make that choice to be cool, calm and collected.

There is no 'other me'.

Just me.

Once I realised this, I changed my talking (not just my thinking) but my talking. More specifically the way I talk to myself.

Instead of saying "Please act cool, calm and collected" I changed that talking to "I am cool, calm and collected"

It took all the 'maybes' out of the equation and it became a definite.

So it was 12.28pm, Thursday 4th February 2010

Just a normal day at Fatburners HQ, when who do you think should walk through the door?

That's right, none other than the big man himself, Mr Brian Kerle.

Like clockwork, my old mindset kicked in.

My head was repeating over and over "Don't screw up, don't screw up, don't screw up"

But I did something different this time.

I changed my talk.

I said to myself, "I am going to go up to Mr Kerle, shake his hand, tell him my name as clear as a Summer's day and then I will tell him my embarrasing story that he played such a role in and together we will have a great laugh about it".

And you know what?

That's exactly what I did.

After six years of frustrations, unjustified stress and apprehesion, one moment changed it all.

I now have a new (more positive) image locked in my head for when I met new people!

Don't know if there is a moral to this story, perhaps you have a similar story where you have overcome a personal challenge?

In any case, keep intensity high and excuses low

Matt Collins

goodbye noughties! Bring on the teens!

It has been 10 years since the turn of the millenium.

I was 20 years old (young).

Didn't know what the hell I was going to do with my life (still don't),

Didn't know what I was going to excel at (if anything),

Didn't know what I was going to be good at (that is worthwhile to the community anyway!),

And as I write this, I realise there is less than 12 days left of the 21st century's noughty decade!

And currently as a thirty year old, I don't think I will be doing too much in the 22nd century's noughty decade.

That thought provoked the following question:.

"Am I happy and content with my existence over the last ten years?" 

Will I look back in the years to come and say:

"I was proud of my time here from 2000-2009?"

The interesting thing is, whether I am proud of what happened or not, I can't go back and change it.

All I/we can do is learn from my/our experiences.

Having regret is the DUMBEST thing we can hold on to, because we can not go back and change what's happened (unless you know Michael J Fox).

Good things that happen or bad things that happen are all just experiences.

And experiences mean nothing unless you learn from them.

Live and learn baby!

Be safe over the holidays and kick arse in 2010!

Keep intensity high and excuses low

Matt Collins

fitness session for NEW YEAR'S EVE - BE THERE!!!

So, it might sound a little left of centre, doing a fitness session on New Year's Eve...

BUT , I reckon drinking to excess and eating too much is a little bit STUPID aswell!!!

So, a NEW YEAR'S EVE FITNESS CLASS it is!

We will meet at the PCYC Fitness centre at 9pm,

Chew the fat about this and that for a little while,

Exercise from about 10pm-11pm, and then recovery with an refreeshing beverage just in time for the count down.

You are very much invited to bring any friends and family that are as crazy as us!

Do something different this year!!!

Make 2010 the year of getting out of your comfort zone, (starting with our New Year's Eve Fitness Session!) 

See you there.

Phone me if you have any other questions

Keep intensity high and excuses low

Matt Collins

Plenty of opening hours, so NO EXCUSES over Christmas!

Hi fatburners gang,

Here are the opening hours for the xmas period:

Up to (and including) Wed 23 Dec 09 - Normal hours

Thurs 24 Dec - 6am - 6pm
Fri 25 Dec - Mon 28 Dec -CLOSED
Tues 29 Dec - Thurs 31 Dec - 8am - 4pm
Fri 1 Jan - Sun 3 Jan - CLOSED

Mon 4 Jan 2010 - Normal hours

The last fatburners fitness class for the year is:
Thurs morning 9.30am, (24 Dec 09)

And the first class back for the year is:

Monday morning 6am, (4 Jan 2010)

Stay safe, healthy and jolly over this holiday season and I look forward to really raising the bar in 2010!!!

Keep intensity high and excuses low

Matt Collins

I'll start next year

So we are about to hit December...

the 'right-off' month!

Why do we even bother with December?

Everyone is already thinking about next year anyway!

Tell me I'm wrong!

December comes along and we start planning our next year...

"In 2010, I am going to really start exercising..."

"Not like how I said I would in 2009, no way! This year is going to be MY year to REALLY start!"

"My food is REALLY going to change! and my health is REALLY going to be a priority!"

You know what I have found from years of working in the fitness industry with the general public?

People are really good at TALKING about things!

and awesome at SAYING why this time is going to be different!

What the general public is not so good at is...DOING!

Here's the challenge, ladies and gents...

Start your new year's resolution on Dec 1, 2009 not Jan 1, 2010.

Why?

Because making long term changes in not about a date on the calender but more about changing your mind set.

If you can't make some positive changes from December 1 because you want to get over the Christmas period first, you are basically saying that this is not a long term change for you.

Because if you do start on Jan 1, what then happens at Easter?

and then Holidays?

and then next Christmas?

and so on and so on.....

This is certainly no way of approaching a long term change!

Sure, let your hair down and have a great time this christmas, but don't kid yourself with the whole New Year's resolution CRAPOLA!

Make some changes for life, not because a date on the calender says we should!

Keep intensity high and excuses low

Matt Collins

Do it by myself, are you kidding me? (20/20)

It seems some people are really keen, really motivated, really ready to better their health and fitness and lifestyle BUT only when their friend/neighbour/partner/workmate/lover/ex lover/son/daughter/mum/dad/etc is ready to do it with them.

Why is that?

Why is it so hard to do stuff unless we have some one there to do it with us?

It doesn't make the exercise any less of a struggle.

They don't actually do the work for you.

Most times, they need as much of a kick in the butt as you do!

We know all this, yet we still set out with excellent goals of sticking to the exercise thing, because "we are going to push each other"!

And what happens if/when the inevitable happens and your new training partner doesn't want to go one day!

Well, that's obvious.....you just don't go either, right?

And the next day, same thing...

and the next day, and the next...

until you wake up one day and say, "rememember when we used to go to the gym, we should try that again one day"

And the vicious cycle continues.

The whole idea of being motivated and dedicated is doing stuff no matter how you feel.

or how the weather is,

or how the kids have been,

or how work was,

and especially if your "training partner" just isn't interested any more!

Some people tell me they enjoy their exercise time because it is THEIR time away from all the stressors and anxiety of the real world!

So why not try that?

See how you go, training by yourself. Because at the end of the day...

No one really cares about your looks/health/fitness/dress size/BMI/weight/etc except you!

Hope this helps.

Keep intensity high and excuses low

Matt Collins

I've got time, it's just not a priority (19/20)

There are 168 hours in each week.

The text books tell us to maintain our fitness requires 3 x 30 minutes sessions each week.

This totals 1.5 hours/ week

1.5 hours into 168 = 0.89%

LESS THAN 1% OF YOUR WEEK!!!

And you are telling me you have no TIME to exercise!

Come on!

It's not that you have no time, it's just not a priority!

Let's use picking up the kids from school as an example.

If you have to pick the kids up from school it just gets done.

No matter what!

The kids will get picked up from school (no matter how little time is available)

You can't say to the kids, "sorry kids, I just didn't have time to pick you up today, But I will try harder tomorrow"

It just gets done!

Why?

Because it is a priority.

I am not suggesting that we start comparing the importance of our health and fitness versus the importance of picking up the kids from school.

What I am suggesting is that when people use time as their excuse for not exercising, in actual fact it is because they are not really concerned whether they get to the gym or not.

Because if it really was a priority, they would've gone.

I'd love your thoughts.

Keep intensity high and excuses low

Matt Collins

10 things you can't say tomorrow (18/20)

Here are the 10 phrases you are not allowed to use tomorrow:

I want 5 push ups for every time you use one of these terms!

1. I can't do that

2. Maybe I will give that a go, one day

3. You don't understand my situation!

4. It's alright for you

5. I wish I was lucky like her

6. I used to do stuff like that!

7. I should start doing that

8. If only I had done that when I was younger, I could never do it now

9. I won't be able to do that until I am older

10. I'll start doing that when things slow down for me a little bit

How we talk is how we will act (and how others will perceive us)

So speak with positivity and watch your results improve!

Keep intensity high and excuses low!

Matt Collins

I need to think about it (17/20)

Why do we wait until everything is just right before we make a change in our life?

Why do we need to 'think about' every little decision?

In a lot of cases, 'over-analysing' a situation will end in us talking ourselves out of it.

(this could be good or bad)

In either case, I would much rather be the person giving it a go compared to the person watching from the sidelines waiting for that person to fail so they can say "see, I told you it wouldn't work!"

Sometimes spur of the moment decisions turn out to be the best decisions we could have ever made.

And sometimes, alternatively, going home and thinking about decisions turn out to be the worse decision we could have ever made.

Sometimes, if you spend too long making the decision, the decision will be made for you because it will be too late.

I often say to people who 'um and ah' about joining the gym (after going home and 'thinking about it') that this probably isn't going to work out because they aren't showing the level of commitment that is required to make life long changes.

(this doesn't always go down so well with the potential new member!)
However, it does force them to either get serious or continue to over-analise everything)

In most cases, people that over-analyse don't necessarily have anything more to think about, it is just that there is a fear of commitment (or maybe it is a fear of the unknown???)

"What if this doesn't work?"

or

"what if this DOES work?"

(This takes us back to the whole"what if" blog from last week!)

I'd like to finish with an example of a decision that would have required much thought (but eventually the HARD decision was made)

Parents of the teenage solo round the world sailor (Jessica Watson) said in a recent broadcast:

"we would rather lose Jessica out at sea, than tell her she wasn't allowed to even try"

As the father of a (ever-inquisitive) 6 year old (just turned 6 today btw!) I tend to agree with Jessica's parents.

However, I can also see why some parents would not agree.

I'd love your thoughts.

Keep intensity high and excuses low

Matt Collins

What if (16/20)

It seems the last couple of posts I have done have cause quite a stir!
I have no problems with comments (both positive and negative). That is why I put this site together. To get the readers thinking beyond the norm. I appreciate all of your comments and I post them all (as long as there is no excessive swearing or unproductive criticism). So keep them coming!

On another note, if you have been reading my ramblings for a while, you will know I am a big fan of Melbourne trainer/motivational speaker/lifestyle adjuster, Craig Harper.
Craig owns the biggest personal training complex in the country, he has a regular spot on the '9am show' and he writes a daily blog (like me, however he has thousands and thousands of readers...it's nice to dream!)

Anyway, Craig is on his way to (the best east coast state) QLD for a full one day 'Renovate Your Body' workshop. He has asked me to tell all fatburners members/family/friends that if you are interested and you book before Wed 21 Oct you will get a 30% discount bringing the total price down to only $136!

All the fatburners trainers will be there on the day, so it'd be great if you could join us (you will not be disappointed!)

Check it out here:
http://www.craigharper.com.au/renovate-your-body-workshop/


On with today's entry,

I like to see people's reactions when you throw a challenge at them.

Especially when the challenge is a really challenging challenge! (I am aware of the 'not the bestest' grammar)

Some people run a mile, some people get excited, some people go quiet, some people say "this is dumb" and walk away, some people (without even giving it a go) will tell you all the reasons why it wont work.

But then there are other people who go straight to the "what ifs"

"What if it doesn't work?"

"What if she falls off"?

"What if we get lost"?

"What if I lose all my money"?

"What if I die"?

I am well aware that people need to think of the worse case scenario to make sure they have looked at both sides of the coin before they go jumping into a major decision, but my arguement is:

Are we looking at the positive and the negative sides evenly?

Or are we focusing all our attention on just the negative side?

"What if this happens, what if that happens..."

Here's a thought:

What if it goes so darn great that it is the best thing that has ever happened in your whole life!

You would then look back and be glad that you jumped in the deep end and didn't let all the "what ifs" talk you out of it.

I look forward to hearing about an instance when you jumped in the deep end and didn't listen to all the "what ifs"!

Keep intensity high and excuses low.

Matt Collins