Most of you know how strong I am in my faith.

So when I came across this video from Tyler Perry it really spoke to me.

Check it out below:

Committed to your success,

Vaughn

Last week I started something I have never done before in my life.  I GOT MY OWN PERSONAL TRAINER!

Me after a workout with Jason

You’re probably asking yourself “Why?”

Why would Vaughn need a trainer?  He owns a personal training company!  He is a personal trainer!  What does he need a trainer for?

Well, despite being the owner of Performance QSA and a personal trainer for the last 10 years, I have my faults just like everyone else.

I am a busy entrepreneur, husband, father, son, and friend.

I face many if not all of the same challenges day in and day out as many of you.

Then you compound those daily challenges with the stressors that come with running a business and it all starts to pile up and after you know it, YOU become last on your priority list.

This is an issue I have juggled with for the last 6 years.

Ever since I opened this studio in January 2005, I have put myself last behind my business, family, staff, clients, and many others.

Because of that, my personal health has suffered.

No, I don’t have any immediate health problems, but the reality of the situation is there are a lot of things that I’m not proud of.

I am about 15-20LBS heavier than I want to and should be.  My energy levels are up and down, and my stress levels are much higher than where I want them.

These things are all symptoms of not putting myself first in my hierarchy of responsibilities.

I had a conversation with one of my business coaches recently and we talked about the Hierarchy of Responsibility:

As you can see from the image above, this is my personal hierarchy and this is how it should be for my health, happiness, and success.

Each of you should also have a personal Hierarchy of Responsibility that outlines your priorities and relationships that you have in your life.

Don’t get me wrong, GOD is first and foremost in my life, but after that the first TWO in the hierarchy should not change no matter who you are.  So let’s look at those two:

1. YOU. The FIRST responsibility you have in life is to take care of yourself.  You are the foundation of everything.  So when YOU are off, everything you do will be off.  You must take care of yourself with the fundamentals like breathing, eating, sleeping, and exercise.  Give yourself regular time off for rest and relaxation.  And do what you can to keep your stress levels low.
2. YOUR FAMILY & FRIENDS. There are people in your life who depend on you.  You play many roles in your life from spouse, to parent, to friend.  And don’t forget son/daughter, brother/sister, cousin, etc.  Each of them are important.  We play these roles for others and they play these roles for us.  Each of us making up critical components of the support systems we all need in order to be at our best.

There you have it.  The FOUNDATION of your Hierarchy of Reponsibility.

I’ve spent many months and years in my own ‘learning’.

And I’m certainly not done yet.  But I’ve come a long way and I feel that now more than anything I need to focus on taking care of myself and you should do the same for YOU!

Remember, if there is no YOU, who will take care of those that depend on you?

You have my support and I hope I have yours!

Committed to your success,

Vaughn