Why nobody cares how hard you’re working (the problem with Hustle Culture)

Hustle culture tricks us into thinking that conspicuous effort is the same as progress.

But no-one cares that you got to the gym before sunrise for a hardcore session…

Unless they’re doing the same thing.

As an online personal trainer, lots of people see you as an aspirational character in many ways.

And if you have abnormal results, people put you on a pedestal.

This can make sales easier - you’ll see plenty of “fitness gurus” who position themselves as a quick solution for someone who wants fast results...

And charge high-ticket prices for it.

What you see on social media vs. reality

Plenty of the same gurus who encourage you to charge high-ticket will also claim that posting several times a day is the key to success.

But next time you post a time-stamped early morning Instagram story ask yourself this:

Who’s it really for?

Your role as a fitness coach is to solve problems for your clients and help them achieve the results you want.

It’s not to prove to others how remarkable your own personal success is.

Because if it’s not achievable for your client, does it matter?

The stuff we’re consuming on social media makes it easy to get caught up in hustle culture.

Watching other online personal trainers seems to widen the gap between who you are right now and who you aspire to be.

But remember that Instagram shows everyone’s highlight reels.

So, when you see a fitness guru who seems to be doing much better than you, remember that they’re showing you a very carefully-curated version of themselves.

Measuring success

When action comes from a place of self-service, it becomes self-defeating. And that’s the core problem of hustle culture:

It’s too ego-driven.

To measure the success and value of a personal training business, ask yourself this:

How many people does it help achieve their desired fitness goals?

You won’t find the most effective coaches shouting about how hard they’re working.

They just keep chipping away with their craft.

Want to find out how we can help you grow your business?

If you’d like to have chat with us about how we can help you grow your online business (without posting your workouts on Instagram five times a day), book a call with us here.

If you want to know more about the processes and systems we use first, you can access our free training video here.