It was 7am on a Friday. It was 8 degrees outside but I couldn’t feel it. It was warm inside my car but I was annoyed at being stuck in traffic. With nothing else to do, I looked around and noticed two women on the side of the road. They were hunched over, blankets over their shoulders, and were picking up the rubbish that had littered their street corner shop since the day before.
Behind them, a makeshift table, covered in a clean cloth, neatly displayed chips, fruit and other snacks for sale.
They did not stop until they had picked up every paper and swept the front of their store. It was immaculate once they were done and they settled in for business.
It struck me that they do this every, single, day. They patiently and thanklessly pick up other people’s trash because they take pride in their little business and clearly care a lot about the customer experience.
Plus, it was one cleaner intersection in Joburg.
I felt so many emotions in those few minutes: from humbled to ashamed for complaining about the things I did, to longing for a world where everyone put as much pride into their work as these ladies did.
The guilt is hard to deny. But that feeling of helplessness made me think about how I could emulate their dedication and pride and, in turn, make an impact on someone else. Maybe there’d be a snowball effect.
My mission has always been to help people achieve their goals, boost their confidence and encourage them to be the healthiest, strongest versions of themselves. To guide them to love and respect themselves and remind them that they are capable and deserving. That’s where I feel the most pride in my work.
And so, watching these ladies every morning, I’m reminded to keep my mission as my focus, every, single, day. To wake up and do it again, if only to see one client leave my home studio or log off an Internet consultation with a smile on their faces. Then I’ve done my job.
Think about your own life. What makes you proud? What gets you up every morning? Choose to focus a little more on that every day this week and let’s see how we feel by Friday – are you in?
Some spaces have opened in my group classes. See the attached schedule for times. Remember also to subscribe to my YouTube channel for free, quick exercises you can do from home.
Here’s to a week of remembering to take pride in everything we do!
