Masterminds Know Why You Should Get Abs

I’m flying home from Connecticut today after spending a few days with a mastermind group composed of some of the leaders in the fitness industry. To illustrate just how interesting these collegues are I’ll just say that one of our group trained a former president. Later I’ll tell you something remarkable about that story.

In a mastermind group you take turns revealing to the group what your current projects are. I have created Exercising Values to give families a comprehensive workout system for the entire family that integrates character lessons for the children and diet and weight loss tips for the parents. I want this information to help as many families as possible so I benefit from the insights of fellow professionals about how to disseminate this information. But more than that, we root for each other and enjoy each other’s company. I laughed a lot!

One of the compelling stories from what is sure to be the diet sensation of 2009 almost made us all cry. When it’s released around Valentine’s Day I’ll let you in on the story and the diet. You will love it. It is absolutely perfect for car pooling mothers, busy professionals and anyone else who wants excellent nutrition while eating on the run. My friend lost 80 pounds on it in just a few months.

Over the next few months I’ll introduce you to more of these amazing people but for now I’ll tell you a bit more about the presidential trainer. When his time came to address the group he rattled off a list of television appearances he had made including Good Morning America and others that reach a wide audience. He told us about the ups and downs of distributing his golf and running products. Then almost as an aside he mentioned that he had been the trainer for a certain former president. Immediately the group sprang to action. You see, what was obvious to all of us was less obvious to him.

When you have trained the man who was arguably the busiest person in the world but also certainly the one who could choose to train with anyone and he chose you... IT”S A BIG DEAL! The group had to convince him that this was something he should let people know.

Do you remember reading the story from about a year ago about the word-renowned violinist Joshua Bell who stood alone and played in a crowded train station. His beautiful music flowed to all around him but very few seemed to even notice this remarkable event. In a different venue these same people might have paid enormous sums of money to hear this same music played by this same genius but on this day it went largely unnoticed. The few who dropped a bit of money for the performer didn’t leave him enough for a simple meal.

These stories are similar in that they speak to untapped and unnoticed resources, potential, and gifts. It is generally understood among trainers than training a celebrity will raise your profile resulting in more influence and more income. Oprah’s trainer, Bob Green, is a household name and it’s not because of what he knows about push-ups. It’s because of who has endorsed him by hiring him. You don’t have to agree with a man’s politics to know that it is significant to be chosen to train someone handling the office of President of the United States. Yet my friend was overlooking this opportunity.

The crowd in the train station missed the chance of a life time. It was a free concert just for them that day hosted by a virtuoso. Consumed by their own errands and distracting thoughts they never stopped to appreciate the gift he gave them that day. Some opportunities truly are once in a lifetime.

The urgency of our schedules and to-do lists can blind us to special, fleeting moments. That laughing baby that has become so popular on You Tube has become popular because of his innocent, enthusiastic entrancement with the present moment; a lost art for most grown-ups. We like to be reminded of what it feels like to be delighted; to simply throw back our heads and laugh uncontrollably.

As the mother of six children I would hate to see you miss any opportunities to put a solid foundation under your children; to pass on to them what you value most. The truth is it is easy to take these daily opportunities for granted. I remember that phrase from Steel Magnolias where the daughter who is risking her life so her child can be born tells her mother (and I paraphrase) that she’d rather have a few moments of something wonderful than a whole lot of nothing special. Fail to plan how you will weave the most important things in life into your daily life and soon enough you’ll have “ a whole lot of nothing special”.

If some of these things would make your list of something wonderful then I believe Exercising Values can help you implement your good intentions. It only asks for fifteen minutes of your busy day. Just long enough to stop to listen to a virtuoso or to laugh with all your might. During this brief time, on the physical side, you will invest in your own health and fitness, burn fat, and encourage your children to be lean, strong and healthy.

You will teach character qualities such as diligence, enthusiasm, hospitality, and loyalty in a way that your children will enjoy and remember. No one has to sit still. You are getting a workout and your kids are getting to play with you, learn from you, and receive lots of love and affirmation. As a bonus they will also receive an excerpt from classic children’s literature that illustrates the character quality they have just learned. Play it at bedtime or while you rest after the workout. In one quick, daily session you have improved your appearance through weight control and fitness, you have role-modeled the fit lifestyle for your children, you have taught them a trait that will help them be happy and successful, and you’ve created family bonds and wonderful memories. You’ve ackowledged the once in a life time opportunity that the discerning person knows can be found in each and every day.