Have a Powerful Conversation to Lift Energy Levels
The 1990s were an exciting time to work in fitness. The fitness boom was just hitting big, and clubs were opening all over the place. Right in the middle of the Upper West Side Manhattan, a club called Equinox opened it doors for the first time. (It went on to become one of the biggest and most successful high-end fitness club chains in the United States, with fifty locations and counting).
The owners, Danny, Lavinia, and Vito Errico, were hands-on operators, in their early thirties, and completely driven by a love of all things having to do with fitness. They were also smart enough to hire the absolute best people in the business, including Bob Esquerre, Chris Imbo, Kacy Duke, Rocco Greco, Patricia Moreno, Annette Lang, Molly Fox, and Rich Baretta, many of whom went on to become household names in New York fitness circles and others of whom remain to this day the elder salespeople and teachers of whole generations of fitness professionals.
They also hired me, in my first professional job as a personal trainer. Through a combination of luck, chemistry, and hard work, I joined the “inner circle” of the people steering the Equinox boat.
Equinox was energy. There was a real sense of being on the cusp of something truly big. Equinox was in the news, every single day. We were designing and developing programs that were cutting edge, from trainer certifications (the Equinox Fitness Training Institute), to rock-climbing programs, to the first yoga-based group fitness classes (courtesy of Molly Fox). It was impossible to walk into the gleaming, shining, immaculate structure that was Equinox and not feel your pulse race.
In those days, I used to have weekly meetings with Danny Errico, one of the three owners of the club. Every Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. we’d discuss programs we were developing, kick around ideas, and discuss new equipment, teachers, classes, and ways of making the trainers better and the clients happier. And I noticed something very interesting happen.
No matter how tired or spent I felt when I walked in, no matter how little sleep I had gotten the night before, no matter what fight I may have had with my then-girlfriend (whom we shall affectionately refer to as “The Demon”). No matter what was going on in my life, when I left those meetings if felt turbocharged with energy. I’m talking ten cups of Starbucks Americano energy. I’d cleave those meeting like I could take on the world, like I couldn’t wait to get started on the next project, like there weren’t enough hours in the day to do all the terrific things I wanted to do.
And I was never tired.
So how did this happen?
COMMUNICATION : THE GREAT ENERGIZER
At first I actually thought there might be something in the water we were drinking. The feeling was that profound, pronounced, and palpable. It wasn’t until much later that I put it all together and came to discover what I now call the “power of the powerful conversation”.
What did we talk about in those meetings? Well, ideas for the club for sure. Programs. New equipment. New ways of getting people healthier. All subjects that have a certain energy on their own, but it was more than that. There was acknowledgement in those conversations. Three was the sense that you were being heard. The sense that you made a difference. That you ideas were great and people appreciated them. That you were being listened to and that you ides were going to actually be translated into action and, even better, that those actions were going to change people’s lives for the better.
Now wonder I left those conversations feeling high. Energy, even though I wasn’t able to put it into words until years later. That discovery led me to a principle that I truly try to live by, and try to incorporate into my life as often as I possibly can, and it’s this; Powerful conversations energize.
A powerful conversation is one in which you tell the truth. When you really listen. When you really feel heard. When you’re connected to the emotion and spirit of what you’re talking about. The conversation can be something personal, or it can be related to business or your relationship or your plans for the future, or anything you feel passionate about. It can be a conversation with your loved one about something that hasn’t been discussed before – anything from “when you come home and go right to the computer, I feel a little abandoned” – or a passionate exchange of ideas with a partner about developing a new business. The key ingredients for maximum energy enhancement are honesty and acceptance in a supportive environment and a true desire to communicate at a deeper level (and yes, your professional dreams for a business can certainly count as that).
I’m not always able to, but I try hard to have one breakthrough, powerful communication a day. Whenever I do, I feel an energetic high. A powerful conversation is the diametric opposite of mindlessness. It’s focused, laser-sharp, honest, revealing, visionary, intense, and, well…. Powerful.
Try it. And watch your energy soar.
By Jonny
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