Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to members, friends, family, visitors and our wonderful staff!!

2012 was a blur for me, a magnificent collage of opportunity, risk-taking, discovery, self-evaluation and change. I simply want to share some thoughts that come to mind as I reflect on a huge year of loss, gain, happiness and despair. Throughout it all love and caring is at the core. My wish for all of you is that you can look back on this past year, see the good, and be inspired for the beginning of the new.  Some New Year’s thoughts that may help guide you upward, onward and make 2013 pivotal in your life…

Know in your heart that personal change is possible. It requires work, determination and a strong confidence in your own abilities. No one but you can do it and ultimately you will need to take responsibility for all consequences in the process.

Look at the individual tree you want to climb rather than the forest surrounding it.  One of the largest obstacles to reaching a goal is taking on too much and then talking yourself out of doing anything.

A setback is only a speed bump, not a failure. A significant life-change will not be easy nor should it ever be taken lightly. If it were easy you would have achieved it long ago. Evaluate, learn, re-set and get back on track.

Hear your inner voices.  There is one on each shoulder. One says yes you can, the other says no you can’t. There is a beautiful, complicated brain in the middle that will process it all if you let it...sometimes all night long. Always listen, weigh all arguments and be true to yourself.

Regrets are a waste of your energy unless they trigger a call to action that improves your life, your connections with people, all the things you care about. Look forward, guided by the past, but not ruled by “should haves”.

Judge yourself with kindness with a focus on reality. Never let others define what you should be, what you should do. Fear of judgment and criticism can paralyze us. It can destroy creativity, kill dreams and essentially prevent us from tackling anything that makes us vulnerable.

Surround yourself with good, positive, affirming people that care about you. There are people who inspire growth, and people who destroy dreams. Be one of the former and choose whom you spend valuable time with wisely.

In closing out December 31^st 2012…

This year let’s all be kind to others. Find the good within the bad. Filter your thoughts before you pass them on. Realize a simple word, gesture or deed can either lift or crush someone’s day. Intentionally, or not.  Be the one who inspires greatness when moments are low. 

My wish for you: Get closer to your dreams in 2013 and take the world along with you!   

~ Kari

Change and Progress

Happy New Year to everyone!

I hope you are already heading in a positive direction in 2012. My absence from writing is simply a reflection on how change can affect the balance and rhythm of life. Some are planned, some are a surprise, and all must be dealt with. There is a definite ripple effect that accompanies every decisive movement and that is why it is so much easier to leave things as they are. That is also why we couldn’t.
For better or worse, I am loyal to tradition, routines, and all things familiar. This sometimes leads to a reluctance and unwillingness to make bold moves. There does come a point, and for us the 30-year mark is a catalyst, where it feels like now or never. Several years ago we began seriously discussing the advantages and challenges of changing the ProRobics name. We definitely wanted it to be easier to recognize what we are by name alone. With the term aerobics becoming “so 80’s” new generations of potential members wondered what a ProRobics was. We knew, our long-time members and staff knew, but the reality was “Robics” was easily mistaken for Robotics. I have joked about it often. Although I find robotics an intriguing and flattering field to be associated with, I am proud of what we truly are.
At the start of summer we made the big emotional leap and began the process of re-branding. There is a freeing effect when you start to relax to the idea of a big change and go forward with a receptive eye. It becomes easier to accept everything else that life presents in your path. We have formally launched The SeattleGYM along with remodels and new programs being introduced at both gyms, Laurelhurst and Queen Anne. These past few months have been our busiest, and at the same time most challenging. There is a new, very positive and heightened energy around the gyms. And the good news is we’re not done yet. The process of change and improvement will continue through the year for us to complete our plans. I feel great pride that the new name is finally associated with my beloved city of Seattle and continues on a deep, historical level. This is where I was born, raised and started a business and career. A big shout-out to Decatur, Nathan Eckstein, Nathan Hale, University of Washington, Seattle Pacific University…not to mention favorite childhood hang-outs Dairy Queen, Dicks, Burgermaster and Baskin Robbins my first job.
Now a big reason for writing this is to encourage all of you to tackle that change of direction you have been longing for. Look in your heart, question your reasons for not going forward, come to a decision, and make a plan. Write it down, create small goals, and be specific so you can check off each one as you accomplish it. The ripple effect I mentioned above is so true in achieving your fitness vision. Feeling good about yourself will impact everyone and everything in your life. I believe we underestimate the power we have by demonstration alone. Your decisive commitment to do something positive especially when it is difficult may be the catalyst to encourage someone else to be as bold. You don’t have to say a thing, you don’t have to preach, you just have to be. People notice and are inspired. This will always come full circle back to you and will empower you even more.
It is not always easy but it is worth every effort.

To your good health and happiness,

Kari