The “Yes”-people

I have never really believed in Murphy’s Law.  You know, that one that tells us, “Nothing is as easy as it looks, and if anything can go wrong, it will, and at the worst possible moment…”

Nah, I still don’t believe in Murphy’s Law, not even after the last two Wednesdays!  I think I just believe that things don’t always go according to plan, and sometimes things are just a little bit more hectic than other times.  Everyone who has been in the studio the past two weeks is familiar with the scenario, but let me explain:

Recording our studio workouts for our YouTube channel has become a regular routine at the studio, and I’m always amazed by the willingness and ease in which our members partake in these sessions.

Normally we repeat a workout two or three times before we are ready to record it.  With step classes we “rehearse” for about three weeks, which comes down to about six classes for most members.  Our Cardio Fun routine, which consists of about 14 songs, obviously take much longer to master, but we we were ready to record two Wednesdays ago.

Everything went smoothly, everyone was smiling and cheering, and we looked stunning in our black tops and leopard print skipants.  It was just perfect, until I watched the recording the morning after…For some reason the whole video file, as well as our Bootybarre class afterwards, were recorded in Timewarp mode.  The whole two hour-recording consisted only of four minutes, with everyone running around like ants on steroids, in fast-forward mode.

I realized that, just before we started to record, I must have changed the settings on the GoPro camera by accidentally touching the screen…My heart sank, but I knew we just had to record the workout again…It’s not the first time we had to reschedule a recording – in the past audio files have been corrupted, or went missing, and on a previous occasion another step class was also recorded in fast-forward mode!

I’m not making excuses, I know should have mastered the art by now, but it IS a tricky business, especially because we record the audio and video separately.

Much to my surprise, no one was reluctant to do it again the following week!  In fact, everyone seemed happy to do the routine one more time, and that’s when it hit it me again – how lucky I am to be surrounded by “Yes”-people.

In his book “Born for a purpose”, DS Mashego writes: “To remain far-sighted, you need to surround yourself with far-sighted visionaries.  You need to surround yourself with people who think like you.  You need to surround yourself with people whose testimonies give you reasons to press on…”

I think that’s the main reason why our studio is successful – it’s  because of all these “yes”-members.  Time and again I see them walking into the studio vibrant, bubbly and smiley.  I experience daily how they are happy and healthy in themselves, physically and emotionally, and that makes me feel unstoppable!

In a recent Blog someone wrote about having “yes”-people in his life and said the following: “Surround yourself with positive, grateful people.  They’ll inspire you – and you’ll inspire them right back…”

I am convinced it`’s because we all share the same passion, and that everyone is just as proud as I am to share our work with the world.

…So, back to the drawing board I went, sorted out the settings of the camera, asked my tribe to pitch again in the same workout clothes as the week before, and we were all set to record our legendary Cardio Fun workout again. 

Just as we began our first routine, the mic suddenly made this horrible noise.  I switched microphones, but the problem persisted, and we were like doing George Ezra’s “In the summertime” for the third time.  I held my composure but couldn’t help thinking that I was being bullied by Murphy’s Law AND Karma.

Or maybe it was BTS who didn’t want to give us “Permission to dance” on their hit song, because as if the sound problems were not enough, the cd malfunctioned!  Luckily, I had an extra (I always make an extra copy) and we could finish our workout…Sigh.

But you know what struck me throughout the whole session?  Everyone kept on smiling, everyone stayed patient, nobody complained or rolled their eyes or stormed out of the class irritated by the events.

Maybe they were cringing inside the whole time, I don’t know, maybe they felt a little sorry for me, or maybe they realized that those were factors beyond my control.

I just know, more than ever, that, although Murphy’s Law states that, if anything can go wrong, it will, there IS a positive side to the same law: If anything good can happen, it also definitely will happen.  And it did!

We were saved on Wednesday by two secret ingredients: a shared cause and the positive outlook of a whole bunch of “Yes” people.  I write about this today, because I believe with my whole heart that for the workout members I lead, it’s okay that I don’t always have the answers.  It’s  more important to be true and open to growth and improvement.

I need to share these “Murphy’s Law” stories of failures along with the lessons gleaned from them, because only then will I be more relatable, but it will also continue to create a culture of trust.

I don’t necessarily mean that we should all be like Jim Carrey in the movie “Yes Man” and say yes to absolutely everything!  Maybe it’s more about saying yes to the present moment.  Saying yes to the beauty and the ugly and the good and the bad and the easy and the hard, with every fibre in our bodies.

Saying yes allows us to get things done.  Much of the success in or lives we owe to saying yes, mostly at times when a “no” would be more convenient.  And the curveballs?  Sometimes things just don’t work out, for whatever reason.

“Yes” people never think they have wasted their time or that nothing good came from their previous efforts.  “Yes” people are willing to bet that something positive came from it, no matter the situation.

So, say yes.  Let’s all continue to say yes.

Say yes to experience, even the bad, boring, and bitter.

Say yes to people.  See them.  Appreciate them.

Open your heart to life, without reservations.

Practice gratitude and be present.

This will prove to be enough…

Yours in fitness

Mirna

082 779 0507