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James Newman · 03-01-2007, 02:06 PM

Accountability for me has become an interesting thing.

When I was first decided that I wanted to lose weight, I was reading posts over at MH. I was like a sponge. It didn't take long to figure out which people I trusted for advice and which ones may have been well-intentioned but ill informed. Nevertheless, the MH forums and TAP were what got me started. Still, though, it was an on-my-own kind of endeavor and it stayed that way for a number of years. Sure, I was successful enough, but my hallucination is that it would have been easier had I actually POSTED to the forums, etc rather than just lurking.

When I decided to transform my life, I also decided to transform my education. No longer was my quest about helping myself. I wanted formal training and credentials to back up what I knew to be true. Moreover, I wanted to help others. I knew there were lots of people out there who were similar to me, who were fighting the same battles, who might come out of the woodwork if called out specifically. So if you are one of these people, I am CALLING YOU OUT!

When I chose my profession, I had a high degree of self-accountability factored in. Let's be real here....if I am going to be successful professionally, I need to have my training and diet squared away. I need to not only look the part, but BE the part. My economic future as well as my health and livelihood depends on it. So you can see how that would have a major impact on my decisions as well.

It is my personal belief that every person is in some way my superior. I have something to learn from everyone. I also believe that every coach should have a coach. So, I sought out the experience and expertise of Coach Charles Staley. I had previously used Coach Staley's training protocols with great success but I needed more. So I joined his private coaching group.

For me, this was a needed shot in the arm. The heightened level of accountability between the members of the coaching group, Charles himself, as well as Julianne, etc have been great. I am thankful for the opportunity to participate. Everybody needs something different. I needed someone to just tell me what to do because I would nitpick my own programming until I was suffering from analysis paralysis.

Today, I am fortunate to be an active participant rather than just a lurker here at JPFitness. It has made a huge difference in my life. It has helped me not only to become closer to some people I already knew, but also to make new friends as well. My accountability network extends to collegues, friends, forumites, the coaching group, and even random people who have never posted nor have I ever met (they simply send a message).

There are a lot of people I owe my success to. My knowledge base, my application of that knowledge with clients (even their success) is something I can't separate from the journey that I have been on. To those individuals, THANK YOU. You all know who you are and I offer my most sincere gratitude.

The great thing guys...the story isn't finished. There are more people to help, more goals to reach, more personal achievements, etc. I am happy to be on that journey with all of you and I thank you for being here. There have been many days when I have asked myself, "Do I have what it takes to be successful in this business?" I want to publish more articles, write books, expand my client base even further, etc etc. I want to learn everything I can possibly learn and learn it from the best in the business. I want to make a difference...

Do I have what it takes?

The truth, I am not sure..... but we'll find out....

Here we are... Livin' Large....

Newman

03-01-2007, 02:06 PM	#6 (permalink)
James Newman Sunny with a high of 75 Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: OK Posts: 1,007	Accountability for me has become an interesting thing. When I was first decided that I wanted to lose weight, I was reading posts over at MH. I was like a sponge. It didn't take long to figure out which people I trusted for advice and which ones may have been well-intentioned but ill informed. Nevertheless, the MH forums and TAP were what got me started. Still, though, it was an on-my-own kind of endeavor and it stayed that way for a number of years. Sure, I was successful enough, but my hallucination is that it would have been easier had I actually POSTED to the forums, etc rather than just lurking. When I decided to transform my life, I also decided to transform my education. No longer was my quest about helping myself. I wanted formal training and credentials to back up what I knew to be true. Moreover, I wanted to help others. I knew there were lots of people out there who were similar to me, who were fighting the same battles, who might come out of the woodwork if called out specifically. So if you are one of these people, I am CALLING YOU OUT! When I chose my profession, I had a high degree of self-accountability factored in. Let's be real here....if I am going to be successful professionally, I need to have my training and diet squared away. I need to not only look the part, but BE the part. My economic future as well as my health and livelihood depends on it. So you can see how that would have a major impact on my decisions as well. It is my personal belief that every person is in some way my superior. I have something to learn from everyone. I also believe that every coach should have a coach. So, I sought out the experience and expertise of Coach Charles Staley. I had previously used Coach Staley's training protocols with great success but I needed more. So I joined his private coaching group. For me, this was a needed shot in the arm. The heightened level of accountability between the members of the coaching group, Charles himself, as well as Julianne, etc have been great. I am thankful for the opportunity to participate. Everybody needs something different. I needed someone to just tell me what to do because I would nitpick my own programming until I was suffering from analysis paralysis. Today, I am fortunate to be an active participant rather than just a lurker here at JPFitness. It has made a huge difference in my life. It has helped me not only to become closer to some people I already knew, but also to make new friends as well. My accountability network extends to collegues, friends, forumites, the coaching group, and even random people who have never posted nor have I ever met (they simply send a message). There are a lot of people I owe my success to. My knowledge base, my application of that knowledge with clients (even their success) is something I can't separate from the journey that I have been on. To those individuals, THANK YOU. You all know who you are and I offer my most sincere gratitude. The great thing guys...the story isn't finished. There are more people to help, more goals to reach, more personal achievements, etc. I am happy to be on that journey with all of you and I thank you for being here. There have been many days when I have asked myself, "Do I have what it takes to be successful in this business?" I want to publish more articles, write books, expand my client base even further, etc etc. I want to learn everything I can possibly learn and learn it from the best in the business. I want to make a difference... Do I have what it takes? The truth, I am not sure..... but we'll find out.... Here we are... Livin' Large.... Newman __________________ "Branch chainz, bro. Leucine in the sky with diamonds." - Alan Aragon My training log - The Weight is OVER... My MS Bike Tour 150 donation page. Last edited by James Newman : 03-01-2007 at 02:17 PM.