What does the language, “my client has to want it more than I do” mean to you?
I’ve browsed some of the posts here and I’ve seen the language “My client has to want it more than I do,” used in a few of the posts. What does this mean, specifically? Why do you use this phrase in particular? It seems to refer to motivation — my client has to be motivated. Do you feel it’s a situation you get trapped in if your client is unmotivated? I think it’s a curious way of saying something and I’d like to understand the concept that this phrase describes. Thanks!
Is this part of client selection? Would you reject a client who doesn’t “want it” enough? How do you as a personal trainer work with a client’s (possibly fluctuating) levels of motivation and commitment to their program and goals?
As I think about your question more deeply, I do want to mention that there is a lot that we trainers can do to help motivate. The more we can help a client flesh out the picture of what their physical health would feel like and look like, what possibilities would open themselves, the more they will *sometimes* commit to that goal.
It’s like I have a box of matches. Each match is an idea, an inspiration, a possibility. I hand the client one match at a time. But it is the client who has to strike the match and light the spark. We fan those flames together, but if the client doesn’t fan them when they’re outside my session, the fire WILL go out.
Sometimes, my box of matches doesn’t have the correct match. Another trainer’s matchbox might have the right “match” to light up that person. Some people aren’t ready to strike the match, no matter who gives it to them or what it is.