So, sit back on your festive pumpkin chair with your pumpkin spiced whatever with a side of pumpkin bread and enjoy a trip down Matt's memory lane.
Back in January of 2010, I decided that I wanted to go back to school and become a Physical Therapist. I did some research and found out I would have to take several additional undergraduate courses to satisfy pre-requisite requirements in addition to a bunch of volunteer observation hours in various Physical Therapy settings.
It was a pretty daunting task and I took some time to weigh the pros and cons of what I was about to embark upon. It would take me approximately two years to complete the task and after the fact, there would be the risk of rejection and all my hard work being for nothing.
Now I have always been of the mindset that if one puts their mind to something and puts fourth their absolute best effort, one will get what they want. With this in mind, I decided it was worth the risk .
Over the ensuing two and a half years, I took 10 additional undergraduate classes and completed nearly 200 hours of voluntary observation hours in various clinical settings. I did all of this while training full time and continuing my professional development. I wanted to make sure I would be the best trainer I could be, and at the same time prepare myself to be a standout student in the Physical Therapy classroom.
I studied biomechanics, strength and conditioning, assessment modalities, and obtained an additional certification.
After two and a half years of hard work and constant stress, I finally finished what was the equivalent of a second bachelor's degree. I paid my money (application fees are incredibly expensive when you add them all up) and applied to six different programs. I was exhausted. Then I waited.
And waited
And waited some more.
About three months went by, and I started getting letters. One rejection, another rejection, and another. When it was all said and done I was rejected by five programs and placed on the wait list for one. Then I waited some more and didn't get in to the wait listed school.
I was crushed.
I felt like such a failure. It felt like my whole world was going to crash down around me. All of that hard work....for nothing. I was lost.
"How could I take such a huge risk?"
"Was I too rash with my decision making?"
"What the hell do I do now?"
"Do I really want to be a trainer for the rest of my life?"
On a positive note, after all those rejections, in April of 2012 I got married to the love of my life, Jodie.
We were married in St. Lucia and it was absolutely wonderful. It was just what I needed to get my mind off of things.
When we returned I spent a couple of months re-thinking things and decided to give it another shot. I did some more observation hours and got another certification to make myself look better on paper. I also called around and spoke with some professors and people on the admissions committee.
I applied again.
Fast forward to this past January. Rejected again.
Crushed....again.
"How could this happen?" I worked so damn hard! All those feelings of failure and inadequacy came rushing back. I didn't know where I would go from there. Truthfully, up until recently the last several months have been a rollercoaster of emotions. Anger and negativity being at the forefront of those emotions. I was smack in the middle of what I call "Negative Town".
I had been wrestling with the internal conflict of what to do next. Can I honestly make a career out of fitness? Should I start my own business? Should I do something else?
All of this internal conflict and negativity was weighing me down like a two ton boulder on my back. It was affecting my work and most importantly, my marriage.
Not long ago, Jodie and I had a long "discussion". You married folks out there know what I mean by "discussion". She really put things in perspective for me. I had been carrying all of this anger around with me and I wasn't enjoying my life. I was dwelling on the few negative things that had happened to me and I was failing to look at the positive. All I was thinking about was that I wasn't where I wanted to be.
So I sat down and made a list of all the positive things I had done in the past 5 years.
- Got married to an absolutely wonderful person and my best friend.
- Bought our first house.
- Raised a dog.
- Paid off some debt.
- Added more debt.
- Helped literally hundreds of people get healthy and feel better about themselves.
- Formed some great relationships with some truly great people. (The people of Mint Hill, NC really are some of the most amazing, genuine people I have ever met.)
- Earned the equivalent to a second bachelor's degree in Biology. (Maybe I should try and make that official by the way.)
- Completed a ton of professional development including certifications, books, DVD's, webinars, and seminars.
- Became a better person.
- Started a pretty awesome blog.
The moral of the story is that its way too easy to dwell on the negative.
Am I exactly where I want to be in life? Hell no, but I have some great things going for me. I know for certain I'll never stop trying to get better personally and professionally. I'm way too awesome to be carrying all that negative bullshit around with me every day. And you are too.
Your career does not define who you are. The type of person you choose to be does.
So don't take a trip to Negative Town. Perspective is everything. Take a step back and look at the positive things in your life. Make a list if you have to. Trust me it helps. Be thankful for what you have and appreciate it every second of every day.
Now, because I can't resist an 80's reference, I'll end with one of my favorite movie moments of all time.
Have a great weekend!
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