#SBC2016 Day 1: Excavating Wellness: Unearthing Your Potential

I remember the first time I watched Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade.

I was enthralled. 

Truth be told, I was probably too young for it- it left me pretty scared of ghosts for many, many months. But it also quickly became one of my favourite movies of all time (not only because I developed my first crush on the main character.)

Indiana Jones was the first time I had ever been introduced to archaeology: the study of human history. Despite its over the top, glorified depictions, this film would ignite a passion for understanding how humanity evolved that would persist through my entire life. 

I didn't pursue archaeology in school, mostly because, as a child, I was told that I couldn't science. This was partly true. I had an undiagnosed learning disorder that makes math and science particularly difficult subjects for me.  But my lack of academic potential did nothing to extinguish the burning excitement I feel when I stumble upon an article like this one.

***

A few months ago, in our leadership studies class, I was asked to do an oral presentation on my personal leadership style.

I hate these kinds of projects. I find everyone always says the same thing.  As part of the assignment, we had to listen to other people's projects and comment on them. Procrastinating making my own video for as long as I could, I decided to do that part before actually doing my own part. And I am glad that I did- because it inspired an 'aha' moment in myself that was truly unexpected.

In my group cohort of six students, each and everyone of the five- others at some point or another- made reference to wanting to empower people. 

This made me inexplicably angry. 

Who were these kids, all of them barely even 20 years old, to think that they could 'empower' me, or anyone else?

Why would they assume that, just because a person doesn't exercise or eat the way that they think that they should be eating, that they are somehow lacking in 'power'- so much so that they need to pay another individual to give it to them? 

What do we even mean by 'empower' anyway?  I mean, aside from being the catchiest of catch phrases... what does it mean??

Dictionary.com says:

Verb (used with object): 1. to give power or authority to; to authorize, especially by legal or official means. (...) 2. to enable or permit.

Yeah- that super doesn't resonate with me. In fact, it goes against virtually everything I believe in as a person and as a trainer. 

Here's the deal- you don't need me to empower you.

You. Are. Powerful. 

You already are. You always have been. You are so much more powerful than you know. 

The world has spent a really, really long time (and an awful lot of money) trying to convince us that we lack authority, autonomy, the skills and knowledge to make our own decisions and life our own lives. We have been forced into restrictive social norms, shoved into tiny boxes and told that we need permission from others in order to escape these.

This is especially true when it comes to health and wellness. All the lies. All the scams. All the shame. All the nonsensical social norms. 

Layer, over layer, over layer of the world convincing you are removed from your body and removed from your health; telling you, over and over again, that everything you do, have done, or are going to do, is wrong. 

Doing its best to disempower you. And then convincing you that it has all the tools needed to give you that power back, if you just 'buy this magic potion' or 'eat clean' or 'lift heavy' or whatever the catch phrase of the day happens to be.   

It's clever marketing, no doubt. And it has been pretty damn effective...at the tune of 24 Billion US, the fitness/wellness industry is one of the few that is actually seeing significant increases year over year over year. 

And yet, they keep telling us that we are unhealthier than ever...but how can that be?
It's pretty simple- for the most part, the fitness industry doesn't actually want you to get fit. Not unless you do it through them, and are fully dependent on them to keep you there. 

Like it or not, the vast majority in fitness and wellness depends on the fact that you will fail...and then try again. 

And they do it under the guise of "empowerment". 

But to sell you 'empowerment', they first have to sell you on the fact that you are currently powerless. 

And I don't buy it. 

You aren't powerless over your body. It's your own damn body! It belongs to you. And you have the power to do with it what you damn well please. 

But that power...its been buried. All those lies, all that crap, all the layers of self-loathing and insecurity that were spread on you have- over time- has petrified around it, trapping it into stone. 

Your power is there, inside you. But you may need some help and some extra tools to release it. 

But for that, the very first step is understanding that no one has control over this process except you.

You are already empowered.

***

As I sat down to film my video, I knew that I wanted to get one key point across. 

What is my leadership style? Self discovery.

I see myself as a bit of an archaeologist of strength and power. I help people chisel away at all the layers of self-doubt and insecurity that have gathered and ossified over the years. I help people discover their inner power by equipping them with knowledge, skills and confidence, but- most importantly- by constantly reminding them that they have all the power they need inside them to dictate the course their lives will take. 

I won't drive your car for you and I won't sit behind you, like some obnoxious back seat driver, and tell you exactly what to do every time you get behind the wheel. But I will tell you how a car works, explain the rules of the road, support you as you learn new skills and- when you're ready- help you feel confident that you are able to drive on your own. 

One day, you will drive without me. And that's a good thing. In fact, that's kind of the point. 

So no, I don't want to empower people- I don't believe I have the authority to do so. 

But I can help guide the process of self-discovery. 

So for the next month, I'm donning my virtual fedora, channeling my inner-Indiana and taking you on a journey of self-excavation, exploring what it means to unearth your action potential. 

Welcome to the 2016 Shamefree Wellness Summer Blog Challenge!

Excavating Wellness: Unearthing Your Potential

#sbc2016 #escavatingwellness #actionpotentialfitness #shamefreewellness