Pain, Uncertainty and Constant Work

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TJ’s BLOG:

Actor Jonah Hill’s documentary Stutz profiles his therapist, Phil Stutz.

The concept was to expose the tools Stutz uses to help people achieve a better view of their own lives.

In general, Stutz says that people who accept that life is made up pain, uncertainty, and constant work are better equipped and essentially happier than those who are constantly trying to avoid these things.

I can tell you that I’ve come to a bit of a realization as of late, and Phil’s philosophies hit home for me.

For the past five years, I’ve secretly been searching for some evolved version of me.

I would sometimes cringe when people would call me a gym owner, trainer, or coach, as if I wanted to be something else, too.

I had been there and done that, and it was time for me to elevate or blossom or bloom or whatever embarrassing term life coaches are using these days.

I spent the pandemic trying not to lose my business and also thinking about figuring out the next fifty years of my life.

I would recommend this combination to absolutely no one.

It’s a great way to waste time and get nothing done.

Looking back now, I see it has a certain distasteful odor of, gulp, middle-aged crisis?

Getting decently sick with Covid in July stopped my self-indulgence dead in my tracks.

No future, no past. Just staring at the grass from my patio couch for four days.

That’s when we decided to close Mill Valley.

It’s also when the gift of pragmatism, logic, and the present lifted my head from its fog and stood right in front of me.

I had goals with hard timelines, which branched into creative opportunities and also tapped the utilitarian side of me.

I jumped into organizational and design projects, the fruits of which some of you hopefully notice in the gym.

The last phase has been decision-making around the best possible situation for our community.

How can we help you grow, succeed, and enjoy the process?

At one point between Christmas and New Years, I sat on the floor in the middle of the Corte Madera gym after putting a screw basically through my hand.

I was all alone and sat looking at the gym.

It looked big. It looked organized. It looked better. Not perfect, but better.

I felt great. I felt useful. I felt purposeful.

How do I keep making this place better for these people? My focus on what’s best for the people who come is clear.

I believe Stutz is right: Realization, pain, uncertainty, and hard work are not only a constant but also a therapeutic tool, and I wish this gift of understanding upon everyone.

That’s as an authentic thing as I can say as we kick of 2023 together.

Happy New Year!

~TJ