Blog 6 The power of a gang.

The power of a gang   #wannabeinourgang?

I was recently stood in our reception when I heard the most almighty cheer coming from the studio at the other side of the building! I ran down thinking what on earth was going on and I found a group of girls cheering and clapping each other on as they all manage to do handstands against the pole. They were hugging and jumping up and down in a state of total happiness, support and encouragement  for each other. It made me smile because this is what pole is all about.

It reminded me of a quote by Amy Poehler and she said

“Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.”

This got me thinking about the power that a group of people can have in a person’s pole or exercise related goal progress.

Many people won’t join the club without a friend. Understandable as we are much braver with friends than when we are on our own. But what happens if you love it and she doesn’t’? Do you stay or do you go? You want to do something with your ‘bestie’ but she doesn’t like your choice, it can be a difficult one.  I want to assure you that you can do this alone and not worry about whether you will fit in.

We have many stories from people who have joined with a friend and left and many others who had a friend not continue and then they go on to make new friends. Friends, who empower them to do better, celebrate the successes and encourage them out of the failure mode. One of the greatest ways for you to be successful is to help others to succeed. This works because once we see it’s possible we can believe it’s achievable.  No one could run a mile in under 4 minutes, they thought it impossible and that the body would die from being pushed so hard. Until that is Roger Banister came along and once he crashed through that barrier, the rest of the world saw that it was possible, and the previous record that had stood for nine years was broken routinely. And this happens in class all the time. One person gets a move then everyone sees that it is possible and not just some magic trick the instructor can perform.

Being part of a group of likeminded people is important to your wellbeing and actually is a must to meet your basic needs of survival. People and animals kept in solitary confinement do not thrive. We are constantly looking for people that we have something in common with. This commonality will spread thinner the further away you are from likeminded people. Have you ever met someone on holiday and had the best time ever then when you get home you realise you have absolutely nothing in common with them? This is because when you are hundreds of miles away from your social group you look for any common ground so when you are home and you meet people from your home town you don’t get excited every time you meet someone. But if you are on a beach in Spain and you hear your local accent you get all excited and suddenly you have a new best friend!

You are the sum of the 5 people you spend your time with.

This is an interesting concept that the late Jim Rohn said. He believed that the people who you spend the most time with will influence you more so therefore if you want to be good at something hang around with those who are good at what you want to do/be.  For example you make a commitment to become healthier, you decided that you are going to eat healthy and participate in an exercise program. You are all ready until you meet up with your friends and they tell you that you are boring for not drinking or encourage you to eat a pudding or ditch the gym for Netflix so you fall right back into your old pattern of behaviour.

What about if your group were like minded? What about if they said meet you at the gym? Or see you at pole practice? Would this be an easier way to attain your goals?

Choose your friends wisely as they are either championing you on or they are sabotaging your efforts. Now I’m not telling you to ditch your friends but maybe there is room in your life for new friends?  Being part of a pole class ‘gang’ means there is always someone to give you the right advice and direction to make your goal of becoming a better poler closer.

Let me know if you are ready to join out ‘gang’

 

Clare xx