Who Should I Listen To?

Holy molly did it get chilly again! Woke up this morning after a good nappy nap, the usual for my first night off, and wowzer...........it is full on winter again. Calgary weather makes me laugh. Back home it is colder than a well diggers arse, but it stays that way for the majority of winter. Here in cow town it is like a teeny boppers mind, never made up. Hopping from one mood to the next. Gives you a break from the cold I guess, but I am still not too use to it. Not too sure if I will ever come around. That being said, we are going for a run around the reservoir this evening. Should be a good time. Just need to put on a couple extra layers:) No excuses for getting out.
In both my careers/jobs I am always dealing with people and trying to help them out in some capacity. From athletes/clients/friends in the gym/box environment, to patients at emergency scenes. There is much to gain in both circumstances by examining the way they look and move, to how the environment looks around them. But above all, listening to what they are saying trumps all. I mean truly listening. Not just asking questions, because it seems it is the right thing to do, and not really listening to the answers......... but listening and analyzing the answers and seeing how they are effecting the current situation and lives of the client/athlete/friend/patient.
I apply this to myself. By listening to myself BEFORE heeding anyone else's advice. I am the only one that can feel what is going on in my body. Sure I can put that barbell over my head, but it feels like my shoulder is going to dislocate! Or I have not been able to sleep, for whatever reason, and can barley keep my eyes open, but am suppose to train today. No one except for me can feel how I am feeling, and I have to listen to my body and what it is telling me. Explaining what I am feeling to a trainer, coach, Dr., etc., gives them a bit of a window to look into my body and see what is going on with a little more insight. If they choose not to listen to what I am telling them, I will be finding a new Dr., coach, trainer, etc.

Listen to yourself.

I see it quite often with people who are standing on unfamiliar ground. New to weight training, Crossfit, running, or even in an emergency. People are looking for someone to tell them how they are suppose to be feeling, rather than listening to what their body is telling them. In the case of training, all of it should be hard, that is a given. But........ there is a big difference between being difficult and being painful. The latter is something you should not be experiencing. The feeling of pain is your bodies way of telling you something is wrong. You must listen.
I think my career with the Fire Department has taught, and will continue to teach, me the importance of the little details when dealing with people. Quite often when the small details are not given the appropriate attention, the big picture starts to get quite blurry. Without correction, the big picture is eventually unrecognizable. This lesson I find transfers directly over to training people at our box and to life. The details are the base. Without a strong base your building a house with a deck of cards, that is inevitably going to come crashing down.
Advice is always good, but as all of you know there is always someone willing to give you some "good advice." So take it lightly and always take into consideration the source. Above all listen to you. Those gut feelings are 99% accurate, and all those feelings need to be listened to. They are advice being giving by the most reputable source. Yourself. They are the small details that construct a healthy you.

One person can accomplish more by listening and doing, than 10 people running their mouths:-)