Finding your People: Coaches that Care & Life Long Happiness

In 1938, 85 years ago, Harvard University started a study to answer perhaps the most valuable question we can ask. What makes us happy in life? I bet if fifty people were asked we could potentially get 50 different answers. The project began with 724 people who agreed to be involved in the study for the entirety of their lives. The wild thing about that study, is as of 2015 about 60 participants all in their 90s were still around participating in the study. 

Two big takeaways from what they found were that as we age, we tend to know when to let go of things easier and not sweat the small stuff. Meaning that as we get older we realise what is important in life and don’t spend as much time worried about the things that aren’t as important. The second, and perhaps most important takeaway was that having close relationships and connection was the top correlate to happiness. Not money or accolades, but relationships such as friends, spouses, and social circles. And the more we think about it the more it makes sense. Close relationships give you a place to feel safe and secure. Tight bonds allow for you to have a place to go and someone to talk to when you need it. It ensures that people will be there to pick you up when you fall. 

This means we have an amazing opportunity to provide genuine happiness to our members. And it won’t necessarily come from losing inches around their waist, getting off high blood pressure medicine, or hitting a new squat PR (though all of those things can be valuable and important as well). We can help provide this opportunity for long lasting happiness through the community we build. 

There could be a book written on this topic, and we will cover it in more detail in the future, but for right now let’s seek simplicity. Build a team of coaches that care. That above all else will be far more important than a gym outing to a local brewery or town fair. The daily interaction of coaches who care are what create the community and the bonds that are shared. Because when the foundation of your community is led by people who care, the rest takes care of itself. 

Yes there will still be issues and problems just like with any family or group of people, but when everyone feels safe to communicate and knows that their best interests are at heart, all of these natural disagreements will be resolved without resentment. 

So if you want to build a great community at your gym, it starts with the coaches. Hire people that care over credentials, because coaching skills can be brought up. But you can’t teach people to care.