Everyone is out there to make a buck. That is not a nasty thing to say. It’s true. If you have no money, you’d be living on the street. Of course, it is great when people have the opportunity to give back. Sometimes it means giving back to the community and sometimes it means giving back to an individual. But, it isn’t always the richest of the rich who have the ability. Sometimes it is the average personal who can give back, not just with money, but with time, experience, and knowledge. Unfortunately, sometimes those who ask for help don’t fully appreciate the sacrifice the donor might be making to provide the helping hand. Therefore, they can act a bit ungrateful. Sadly, this puts the donors in a less giving mood the next time an opportunity arises. I had one such episode recently where some personal trainers wanted to work with someone who had asked for help.
One day, I was trying to assist a person on a limited budget who wanted to work with a personal trainer. She had budgeted an amount to work with a personal trainer for three months twice a week. I began by learning about her, her needs, and her goals. In an effort to manage her expectations, I informed her that I would contact some of the trainers in her neighborhood and see if anyone could work with her situation, but that she also needs to understand that while her needs could easily be addressed, it is her budget is the limiting factor trainer. Of course, everyone has budgetary limits, but this was definitely a special case. We were looking for one of the trainers that might live nearby or have an open slot in between clients that would make this an opportune win for both parties. What I ended up finding is that personal trainers have good hearts as well as physical conditioning.
As promised, I sent out an email to almost two dozen trainers detailing the situation. Not surprising, I received a couple of responses politely declining the offer. Some Queens personal trainers were not available when she was looking for services. The pleasantly surprising part was that more than half of the people that were interested in hearing more about the opportunity or ready to contact her. It was really nice to get emails from trainers who were eager to help someone who was focused on making a change, but saw her only obstacle was financial. “I am always willing to help someone who is ready to train, but can’t afford it. I would be happy to contact her,” said one trainer. Like Clutch Powers says, “I can work with heart.”
This was great. It seemed like we were going to have a really great feel good story. Several trainers wanted to speak with her. It was more than she was even willing to talk too. She ended up scheduling to meet with two of the trainers for consultations. One was cancelled due to work commitments and one took place. It was a good scenario for both of them, as he lived around the corner and could do it at a convenient time. From what the trainer told me, the session went well. What was disappointing was that after everything I had spoken about with her, and listened to what she needed and could afford, as well as being very upfront so as to manage her expectations, when the session ended she ended up trying to get an even lower price.
This was extremely disappointing and even a bit frustrating. The trainer was trying to be helpful and was willing to work with her. This felt like a punch in the gut. Everything had seemed clear after the conversation I had with her. If I was able to find someone to match the information she supplied, assignment accomplished. I was taken aback a bit, but no time to dwell on it. It was time to move on and help the next person. I moved on, but I was glad to be reminded of moral goodness. Personal trainers really want to help people. As a friend once told me, your passions are the keys to your success. Most personal trainers Queens become personal trainers because they are passionate about fitness and it is wonderful that they can make a living doing it.
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