I’m often asked what the single most important aspect of my success. Is it education? Training? Tenacity? Motivation?

For me, the single most important personal aspect is my rebelliousness.

Funny, most of my life I conformed to what was expected. I did 9-5 jobs that were ‘secure’ and consistent. I bought into traditional health care and education, I got married, had a child, got that mortgage.

But deep down inside I’ve always been a rebel. I sucked at conforming….don’t get me wrong, on the surface it all looked good. I was doing what I was supposed to do, what kept me in line, safe, towing the party line. But deep inside, my spirit was drying up.

Then came weights….ahhh, I was liberated. Thirty years ago there simply were no women weight training (perfect!), so it was the perfect opportunity for me to create a lifestyle that bucked the very system I was slowly being swallowed up by.

I see this same rebelliousness in all the women I weight train today. They are all out there in their own little worlds, in various countries, all on my on-line programs, all bucking expectations, women who dare to better their bodies and take the heat for it (like the best friend that tells you you’re getting too skinny, and to stop all this ‘dieting and training stuff’…yep, the worst undercutters are still female friends and family).  

These past 2 weeks I’ve had the pleasure of talking with over 30 women from my 10 and 12-Week Best Shape Challenges with their free 30-minute coaching call with me, and I am always so impressed with their tenacity, commitment, honesty and focus.

It’s not to say they are always staying the course…there are times when we all get knocked off our training and best intentions at healthy eating, but they have that inner ‘grrr’, that conviction that says, “I’m worth it,” and they get back up and carry on. They buck a system that says women are supposed to take care of others first (martyrdom), who are not supposed to ask questions of their doctor (my doctor would love if I learned that one!), that the 9-5 grind in a lifeless job brings us security and a healthy retirement (yawn). They rebel against stereotypes (stay soft, small, non-confrontational) and they defer to authority, bosses, husbands, doctors…those in supposed positions of power (I won’t even get into that one!).

All my women are learning (and I’m learning from them) that owning and growing our precious power is not about a certain position, a job, or an income. It’s a thought process, a choice that starts in our heads. And the ability to see life as choice, and to rebel against the powers-that-be that keep us small is our god-given right as people, as women, mothers, sisters and wives. 

So when you feel small or marginialized by a system that isn’t quite set up to set you free, go to the gym. Lift that weight. Connect to that power. Make it grow. And take that out into the world. It’s your gift, your right, your privelege.

karen

PS: Sign up for my popular 10-Week Best Shape of YOUR Life Challenge has begun. Grab your seat today! ONLY 20 SPOTS!