A Little Humility Goes A Long Way

It happened again. I got a promotional email from a well-established professional that started with, "as an expert who has helped thousands of people solve their problems..."

And that's all I remember of that email because there was a flash of red and then I hit delete. And you know what? I probably would have been interested in the content of that email but because she started it in that patronizing, supercilious, egotistic tone I couldn't read any further...which is too bad because I bet there was an UNSUBSCRIBE link at the bottom of that email. Sigh. Another opportunity missed.

 It seems to me as though this particular brand of pompousness is more rampant in the fitness industry than most other fields. I could be wrong. Maybe it's not the industry itself that's at fault so much as the internet...cause there are an awful lot of 'experts' out there who are totally full of shit and cranking it out into the blogosphere by the toiletful. But I digress; that is not what I sat down here to rant about. Most of the fitness-related emails and blogs that I sign up for get right to the point; couple of pleasantries, what the person is up to, and get right to the information....and most of those people have my utmost respect anyway; they don't need to start their email with 1001 reasons why they can be considered the absolute last word on fitness. Know what people who do that need? A big slice of humble pie with lots of whipped cream -- except that those are also the people who don't eat pie. Maybe that's the problem.

 Mmmm...pie.

I don't think I need any more pie; I've had more than my share. In fact, I had a very weird compliment come from an even weirder place the other day - it was a grapevine thang where someone I didn't know came to me and said that someone ELSE (who I look up to in more ways than one) told him that I was the one to ask for advice. I had no idea what to say, so I stood there opening and closing my mouth like a carp at him until he hurriedly gave me his business card and retreated. I never know what to say in response to a professional compliment, because the more I learn and the more I practice and apply that knowledge, the smaller I feel and the more there is to dig into deeper. Which is, of course, why I love it so much. But love doesn't really help me to not feel like people are mocking me when they pay me a compliment! I'm working on it, I swear. One day they will stop taking me by surprise.

Right from there into shameless self-promotion!! Click HERE. Do it. Do it now!

The clock is ticking. Five more days!