Doing business with friends and family

   

     I have lived long enough to see things not always go as planned.  It's caused me to have a rule I try to follow about doing business with friends and family.  Rule 1: If I'm good friends or family with someone, I don't like to do business with them.

     If I'm just acquainted with them or don't spend much actual time with them, then I don't mind.

     Over the years I have broken this rule here and there and when I do, I follow a 2nd rule.  Rule 2: If you decide to do business with good friends or family, you have to promise not to complain or get upset.

     I generally tend to regard things like this:  I value my family and friendships TOO MUCH to put them at risk by doing business with them.

     No one is perfect.  Everyone makes mistakes.  And on top of that, some issues are unavoidable and then the person whose watch it happens on is responsible.

     I've owned a physical therapy practice for over 20 years.  I like to think we're pretty good.  I could run down the list why....but that's another blog post :)  My point is that if a friend  needs help, I expect them to come to me and I'll hook them up at my clinic.  BUT, if they were to tell me they felt more comfortable going somewhere else, I would totally get it.  What happens if things don't go as planned in the rehab?  What happens if an issue arises?

     I'd much rather have a friendship than a patient/client.

No Excuses-that Rhonda Rousey....

     So I read the Rhonda Rousey biography and aside from feeling terrible about her dad dying and her mom being a hard ass bitch, I took away a really cool philosophy from the book.  Her mom would tell her (essentially), anyone can perform well on a good day, but you need to be able to beat your opponent twice on your worst day.

     Rewind to my Donny Shankle seminar back in February of this year and his philosophy of find something to PR in everyday, and now I'm feeling dangerous!

     I have friends that mock the PR everyday thing, "Hey Trav, today I PR'd my 1 eye closed, red shirt wearing pistols!".  I just kind of smile and think (Shankle voice), "F you".  (He is just that intense and I'd be scared to death to get on his bad side).

     So to the point:

I used to do all my strength work before the metcons at my gym, I was given the special ok to do the competitive programming stuff at the time I came in and then jump in with the next class and do metcons.  Well, the rules changed.  Now you have to do the class and then any comp stuff after.  At first I was kind of pissed because I thought, "how will I be able to have any energy to Oly or strength after I'm beat down by the conditioning???".

Well, I decided (again in Shankle voice) "f you", I'm going to beat Oly and strength stuff down at my worst.  So I began a mindset of being my best in less than optimal situations.  Would I do better clean and jerking heavy BEFORE I do a God awful "spartan WOD" that takes 45-50 minutes???  Of course!  But you know what?  Screw it, I won't take no for an answer on my performance.

And sure enough I STILL make it happen.  This weekend I was at the gym in my oly shoes and my son needed them (he's training for the raw nationals next week).  So I gave them to him and put back on my flimsy INOV8 192's.

I needed to do a jerk triple.  Well....no excuses.  I PR'd by 20lbs.  In fact I also had to do a snatch balance x2 and OHS x5.  No Oly shoes at first and I thought, "well there goes my PR likelihood....".  Then I decided, I needed to be able to do this stuff on my worst days too and so I did the work and PR'd the snatch bal by 10 lbs too.

Moral of the story:  There are easy excuses to make or there is hard work to do.  Don't let your mind beat you before you start.