Let me set the scene properly.
I don't go to a luxury gym. It’s basic. The kind of place where there's always a discarded tissue in the cup holder on the Stairmaster. People don't take the weights off the equipment after use and the staff are rarely around to notice what’s actually happening around them.
And that has always bothered me.
I’ve trained there for five years and I can’t count the number of times I’ve watched someone lifting with terrible form, while a staff member is standing right there… ignoring it.
I’ve even spoken to a few of them over the years. It’s not part of their role to help and I get that. But if I were working in fitness, I couldn’t just stand there. If I’m passionate about something, I want to leave the place better for having been in it.
Which brings me to him.
Every single time I look up, one of the workers is helping someone. He’s showing a woman how to adjust a machine she’s never used. He’s encouraging people to push themselves. He's not just being pleasant, he's genuinely so helpful. I see it in the faces of the people after he's walked away, they're grateful for his support.
I’ve never spoken to him. He’s never helped me directly.
But here I am, writing about him to thousands of people.
He doesn't know it, but his impact has been carried out of the gym!
There’s a certain kind of excellence that doesn’t need to serve you personally for you to feel it.
It doesn’t ask for attention,
yet attention finds it.
He already earns his salary whether he does the bare minimum or not. But he chooses to go above and beyond, not because it’s his job. Because it’s who he is.
He stood out to me in a gym where excellence is not the norm, not even close but that's how he operates anyway.
When someone operates from their inner identity, not their role or title, you feel the difference.
A few months ago, I ran a webinar for 60 minutes, not realising that I didn't go live. So, I hadn't let anyone into the session. I spoke to myself for an hour!
I should have felt defeated, but I didn't, I felt absolutely amazing. Because I believed the room was full, I showed up like it and it was the best webinar that nobody got to see.
The lesson I learnt that day is that a room of one can feel like a full audience if you tell your mind it is.
Imagine, just imagine, how that mindset can transform any situation.
Low sales.
Minimal social media views.
No replies from outreach emails.
Most of us think we’ll give more when we get more.
When the environment is better.
When the people around us are different.
When the role demands more from us.
But what if the environments we underestimate are the very ones shaping our reputation? What if the role we have right now is the audition for the one we truly want?
His behaviour reminded me that titles don’t make leaders. Passion doesn't require the perfect positioning. And excellence isn’t something you turn on once you’re properly rewarded for it.
Excellence is always about your inner environment. Your identity and your mindset.
Then, you use any outer environment to prove that you are who you say you are.
So, with this in mind, take a moment to reflect on how you're showing up because someone is noticing, for better or for worse.
Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank. Proverbs 22:29
Until next Sunday,
Dior xx
P.S. If you’re tired of doing everything but don't know the things that will actually move your business forward, Essential Action is where we turn intention into results. Join me on Tuesday at 7pm (uk time)