Hard to believe, but 2018 is coming to a close and it’s time
to pick another Word of the Year!
This tradition started back in 2013 with the word Mindset,
and it’s something I’ve done every year as a way to look back at what was most
important for the last 12 months. Every year, the major dictionaries pick a
word of the year that reflects the mood and ethos of the year, and one that has
seen a significant spike in web searches (this year’s word from Oxford
Dictionaries is “toxic” which saw a 45% increase in searches this year over last
year). So we wanted to do our own version of that tradition.
Meanwhile, back at Advantage… (insert spinning Advantage
logo and cut away music)
The Word of the Year is the focus, theme, or idea we worked
on most this year. Last year’s word was Listen because we as coaches spent a
lot of time and effort learning how to listen better, and saw how listening
more and talking less makes Advantage a better place. Sure beats the hell out of “toxic.”
This was a big year for us at Advantage. We got better in
many ways, but I attribute our growth to one major factor…so we made it our
word of the year!
I’m excited to announce the Advantage Word of the Year for
2018: COMMUNITY!
We have more members this year, sure. But that’s not the
most important factor to the way our members feel about improving their fitness
at Advantage. It’s not that our community is bigger, it’s that they are CLOSER!
This year we started to see “groups” form. The 8am MWF group. The 230 group. The 6am group. The Saturday
group where everyone crosses paths and catches up with each other. We have become a community of groups. A team
of teams.
This is exciting for a few reasons.
First, let’s face it, people just don’t love to work
out. It takes effort, planning, and
time. Even though you know you’ll feel better after your workout, it’s still
hard to overcome your own inertia and get to that morning class you signed up
for, or that class you said you’d go to after work. That’s human nature. If we are at rest, we
tend to want to stay at rest. BUT, when you have a group that is going to ask
some questions if you don’t turn up for class, that’s a little extra motivation
to go because now, instead of only being accountable for yourself, you are also
accountable to the community! This alone
has been enough to help people get moving and make it in for a workout (after
which they say “I’m so glad I came!”).
Second, when you are a part of a strong community, you don’t
just work out because you need to lose 10lbs before next Saturday’s class
reunion. Or because you feel guilty
about having that cupcake at lunch. You work out because that’s who you
are. It’s just what you do! You are a
person who prioritizes your fitness and long-term health, and you know the
benefits are well worth it, so you set aside time for yourself to work out.
Without a strong community of supportive and like-minded
individuals, it’s easy to get stuck pursuing surface-level goals. Think of the
new year’s resolution crowd. They promise to work out, do it a couple times,
can’t overcome that inertia, and end up scrapping the resolution by February.
When you are a part of something bigger than yourself, you come
because it’s easier to be consistent and motivated. That’s why it’s so exciting to see this
community develop over the last year. We love our Advantage people and can’t
wait to see what 2019 has in store for us all.
Brian