What does CrossFit have to do with your finances and investments?  Perhaps nothing and perhaps everything!

If you don’t know what CrossFit is, it’s a type of intense, whole-body, functional exercise program.  I recently joined a CrossFit gym because I wanted the benefits of better health and physical fitness, and I knew the following about myself:

• I’d be more likely to work out at a gym with scheduled workout times than I would at home.
• I’d be more likely to work out harder with a qualified trainer leading and pushing me in addition to the motivation of the class (aka peer pressure).

While you’d think the BENEFIT of better health and physical fitness would have been motivation enough to attend these classes, there was another equally powerful motivator; it was the DRAWBACK of wasting money by spending $150/month and not going.  I could squander $15 – $35/month at one of those “other” gyms but certainly not $150/month!

Isn’t it interesting what motivates us?  Sometimes when I hear people discuss their problems, whether they are health problems, relationship problems, or money problems; I think, you haven’t found a good enough reason to change.  You haven’t had a heart attack yet.  Your spouse hasn’t left you yet.  The bank hasn’t repossessed your house yet.  So why would you change?  The pain of what you’re doing isn’t enough to cause you to do something different.

The truth is, we can accomplish anything we want in life if we have a good enough reason!

Bringing it home to finances and investing, don’t most of us want more money?  More financial freedom?  More free time?  Most would say yes.  So, what’s stopping us from making the changes in our lives to make those things a reality?  Perhaps again, we don’t have a good enough reason.  Obviously, the benefits of having more money, more financial freedom, and more time aren’t enough.  Otherwise, we would already be doing what it takes.

I suggest we may need the financial equivalent of the CrossFit gym.  And what is that?  A highly trained and not inexpensive coach who’s going to push us, keep us on track and hold us accountable.  And like I found, the pain of paying for that coach and not fully utilizing him or her may be just what you need also.  I’ve had a number of financial coaches over the years, and they were all very worthwhile.

Almost all highly successful people have a coach, mentor, trainer, or accountability partner; someone who pushes them and keeps them on track.

If you live in the Seattle area and are looking for a great CrossFit gym, check out my favorite – Kent CrossFit.

I don’t know of a one-stop-shopping source for coaches, but my business partner Marnye Moore at Envision Results is a personal and professional development consultant and would be happy to assist you.