Closing The Door On 2020 & Looking Ahead To 2021 Greeting fitness friends! It’s been awhile since I’ve sat down to do an in depth post and I could think of nothing better than to connect with you on the departure of 2020 and looking ahead to 2021. The end of the year is always a great time for reflection and while it’s true I’m quite looking forward to closing the door on 2020, I’d be remiss if I didn’t take the time to reflect on it. And this year, though it was a not-so-positive year, the focus of my reflection was not on what I lost. It was not on what I endured. It was not on pain, or misfortune, or the anxiety, or worry, or stress that has threatened to take me over. The focus of my reflection was on gratitude. Because for as many grievances as I have for the year that 2020 was and what it “took” from me, upon reflection, it brought me so much more. A brief highlight of that reflection: Successfully pivoted to online private and group training within days of being shutdown. Served hundreds of our clients online and have serviced thousands of sessions online. Spent more connected family time and played more indoor and backyard games than maybe ever and I’ll savor every minute of that time with our boys (7, 6, and 4). Successfully pivoted to outdoor training with our beautiful outdoor arena. Bistro lights and all! 😊 Served our community with a 21 day online challenge that helped buy thousands of dollars of gift cards from local businesses struggling during Shelter In Place. Watched in awe as my amazing, adaptable and resilient team learned to coach online for group training and private training and then switch hats to outdoor and on site workouts. The text messages, emails, and phone calls from our partners (aka members) echoing their heartfelt sentiment and support for our actions to stay in business and serve them. Successfully obtaining the PPP for Method3 and our team. Recovering from a bad back injury and getting back to fun workouts. Creating a new trailer video showcasing the safety (and awesomeness) of Method3 in current conditions. Standing with and for Black Lives Matter (more to come with this in 2021). Doing an ok job with my fitness and nutrition….and definitely enjoying some homemade treats over the holiday season. A quiet Christmas morning with my family. Watching Cobra Kai on Netflix. (Check it out! You’ll thank me later. 😉 ) Hiring new great teammates and adding them to our fitness family. Donating over $2,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank. Realizing that I have an absolutely incredibly large circle of people that are here to support me, my family, and our team at Method3 and how blessed I truly am. I encourage you to spend some time developing your own highlight reel of 2020 and the GOOD things that it brought you. Mind you, this doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t address the bad things because acknowledging those things and expressing the feelings associated with them IS important. And once you do….you need to let them go because the negative feelings will not serve you moving forward. Looking Ahead To 2021 While I know so many of us are happy to be coming into 2021 and that there is light at the end of the tunnel I want to ensure that people don’t forget 2020 and what it taught us. Quite possibly, the #1 thing it taught me was to slow down and remember to live and enjoy my best life. For me this means balancing work and family and my own identity outside of those things. It means consistent progress in all areas of my life and tempering my needs as a perfectionist so I can enjoy that progress. It means being present for whatever I’m doing and whomever I am with at that time and not being distracted. It means improving my health, fitness, and nutrition, not just for a short term win, but for a long term gain so I can move, eat, and think to the best of my abilities well into the later years of my life. And now it’s your turn…. What did you learn from 2020? How will you use these lessons to strengthen the foundation you have built your life upon? How will you improve the way you move, eat, and think so you can achieve your goals and LIVE the very best version of you? Because that’s what it’s all about right? Living the best version of ourselves so that we can truly and authentically, and definitively live and enjoy our best life. From the entire team and I, we wish you a better and brighter 2021 and to you living Stronger For Today so you can enjoy all of the “tomorrows” to come. Much love! John Heringer Chief Motivator, Method3 Fitness