Personal branding is about managing your name
- even if you don't own a business -
in a world of misinformation, disinformation, and semi-permanent Google records.
Going on a date? Chances are that your "blind" date has Googled your name.
Going to a job interview? Ditto.
-Tim Ferriss

I remember years ago reading the book Four Hour Work-Week by Tim Ferriss and after having read it, being in an alternative universe where anything is possible and everything goes.  Fortunately for me, the idea that anything is possible has grown exponentially and I still believe that you create the world you live in.

Tim’s quote is about the importance of caring tremendously about your digital footprint and your online image.  Where I left off a few weeks ago (you can check it out here if you missed that post) was that there are a handful of foundational points that need to be taken care of before you can carry on with streamlining your message and beginning to create content online.  Once you have the details in place to create your online presence, it is important to take a break, step back, and reflect upon your lifestyle design and goals before moving forward with your brand. 

After you have a beautiful headshot, brand continuity across platforms, and a general idea of what you want to be known for, the next step is to discover what you want the most in life and why. 

One of Stephen Covey’s famous quotes is “begin with the end in mind.” When applying that to your personal brand, the magic to a solid beginning is knowing where you are going.  When you know where you want to end up and why, your writing, personal brand, and daily actions begin to fall in line very quickly.  

Once you have laid the framework for your brand and online presence, the next two steps are for the purpose of syncing up your personal brand and the beginning stages of creating your lifestyle design; I found these two points to be very important in my own journey. 

• Find a role model and online presence to watch and take notes. 
• Create your end goal.

While marinating on those two action items, reading Four Hour Work Week and 7 Habits of Highly effective people to begin to create and focus on the type of lifestyle you want and how that plays a huge contributing role in your personal brand.  Lifestyle design is covered in great detail in Tim's book and I will be focusing on it intentionally in my next post, covering how my own lifestyle design led me to where I am today. 

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Lindsey Rainwater is a consultant and coach to the fitness and wellness industry.  She specializes in business development and leadership. Currently she is working with the Fitmarc Team helping Health Club owners all over the south central region of the united states propel their business forward via group exercise solutions.  For more information about Lindsey, follow her @lindseyrainh2o, all content posted at www.lindseyrainh2o.com 

I was talking to friend about this idea the other day. 

Fitness Friends, I have a question to ask.

Is it possible to meet a fitness goal and still maintain balance in other parts of your life?

Allow me to elaborate here; a lot of us strive for this buzz word "balance" in our life.  But what does that actually mean?  I know for myself I have come to terms with defining it for myself with the help of some books and mentors and watching those around me I wish to model my lifestyle after.

One of my favorite authors on the subject is that of Mr Franklin Covey.  A few years into my career I was taken through the time matrix exercise and taught how to match my time with activities feeding certain parts of myself.  Mind, Body, Spirit and Heart are the 4 components of everyone's productive capacity, and the importance of finding time to work on each part of what makes me personally feel alive and well. 

The difficult part of this idea to answer is, at what point to you have to switch gears and give a goal or desired milestone more time and more energy to obtain the milestone? or do you?

This is the part of the balance scale I know I struggle with.  Where I landed is this thought.  What am I fighting so hard for? is it important to give two hours a day (for example) instead of one, to the gym to obtain a goal, that as soon as I go back to one hour a day will fade? or is a consistent pace of play more important to me? 

What do you think? is consistency and balance your goal, or do you strive for a balanced matrix?

http://behappy.me/

External and internal satisfaction.

What are you searching for externally that you could be providing for yourself internally?

One of my favorite topics is the concept of circumstance based living and analyzing how allowing the external frame work of our lives to dictate our internal happiness.  

I know what you are thinking, Lindsey, how does this relate to my fitness business? or operations of my health club? well let me tell you my thoughts on the topic:

Are you a human? then the application is simple and can be applied to the internal framework of not only yourself but your business and employees. 

In my opinion, we have to work on ourselves first and foremost and not look to outside validation, then turn outwardly to be able to help others.  Starting from within allows us to best serve others.  So really, no matter what you do professionally this applies because you are always you!  At work, with friends, with your family etc. 

A few thoughts from my own life to reflect inwardly on a daily basis.  

1. Set your intentions for each day and bring them back into focus throughout the day.  When you have a clear idea in mind of what you want to accomplish and re visit those things regardless of outside distractions you will have a better chance at fulfilling an internal peace of mind vs. getting caught up in the external noise.

2. Learn to quiet your mind.  I have this little trick I do if I feel myself getting out of touch or distracted.  I close my eyes, and count to 5, each breath is one count and I don't let my mind wander, I focus on one thing, usually the color white as I inhale a exhale.  When I open my eyes all the external clutter is much calmer and I am able to move forward clear of mind. 

3. Do something for yourself every day.  I know this sounds so simple, I find most people live in service to others seeking validation through their responses vs. fulfilling your internal needs first.  When in all reality, if you give yourself at least 1/24 hours of the day, you will find the other hours can be spent truly listing and helping. If exercise is your thing that is just for you, make sure you give yourself that hour. For me reading really recharges me, if I spend one hour a day reading, 30 minutes in the morning and 30 at night, I feel far more available to life than I do when I don't.  Finding something of true value to your core and living that out for one full hour can truly quiet your thinking.

 
I love that in our industry, we are all after the same goal... healthy living.  Whether we provide the environment to get fit,  teach others to eat better, advise, listen, counsel or protrey, the intention of our industry is to motivate people to take care of themselves. So take some time this week to focus on the very things we all teach, but apply them inwardly to yourself. 

Please tell me, Lindsey Rainwater how you stay balanced yourself and then provide that same experience to those you serve.