Ungrateful?

I just had a chat with a friend earlier, who is also a coach. He was sharing that there are some clients that are never satisfied with the training programmes he provides to them. To them, he is never good enough. Then he questioned, why do they pay and have him train them in the first place? I told him that that's a really great question which I can't answer it myself either as I do wonder about that at times myself.

I shared with him that he is not alone. I have had my fair share of clients who are never satisfied with the training I've provided. It really doesn't better if we have taken them in when they were at 'ground zero' (injured, post-surgery, unconditioned, unfit, etc.) and we have helped them to become a lot more mobile, attain their range of motion, strength, fitness, achieve their goals or beyond. To them, they gained their physical abilities all by themselves without your assistance. All successes are through their own efforts and they are quick to point fingers at the coach for their own failures. Without evaluation and reflecting on one's own actions first. It really does not matter what we do as they won't see it because they can't look pass themselves.

I told him to take heart and shared that what I always choose to do is to train all my clients unconditionally and to the very best of my abilities. Even if I go beyond the call of duty out of the genuine goodness of my heart, there will be individuals who decide to insult or mock at me or my programmes, and I can't control that. What I can do is decide on how I respond and think... What these individuals think of me is none of my business! They are free to move on and choose something else that they deem is 'better'. Never engage in their negative and self-centeredness with these individuals. I pick and choose my battles wisely at every single moment.

I told him "Welcome to the world of the service industry"=o) And I reminded him that there maybe a few 'bad eggs'. However, always look towards those who are positive and is willing to work together to achieve their goals. Even if it just one individual, it is enough to 'wash' all those negativity away. I told him that I have been very fortunate to have a beautiful group of runners for this upcoming marathon. They have also been most co-operative to allow us to assist them in achieving their goals. It is such a joy to be part of their journey. It makes all the nasty experiences disappear.

Please do not misunderstand... Coaches are not individuals who are looking for recognition just because they train you. Coaches usually train others with a passion. And it is their job to do so as their trainees would have paid them to do. It just makes it difficult for coaches to train any individual who attends training sessions grudgingly or would only engage in exercises they fancy which makes the goals set out impossible to achieve. In addition, should you decide that the training no longer works for you, move on and do not continue to crucify the coach.

Having shared all these, I would like to Thank all the Fifth Ray runners who have maintained their positivity during the training sessions all these months and years and who have worked together with us at Fifth Ray to achieve the goals they have set for themselves. It is for these individuals that we always strive to better our programmes and services. And provide them with the best programmes we possibly can.