 Next question is from Leija Lu. In a recent podcast, Adam mentioned getting burnt out as a trainer in part due to the generally low success rate and helping clients reach their goals. So how do you measure your success as a trainer then? What metrics do you use to know you're doing a good job? Boy, this changed a lot through the years. Initially, I thought success meant getting my clients to the goals. Oh, you want to lose 20 pounds? We got you to lose 20 pounds. I succeeded. I also thought it was related to how many clients hired me. I got all these clients hiring me and I'm getting people to their goals. I'm a very successful trainer. It wasn't until later when I, you know, just after years of doing this, maybe five years later, I look back and I'm like, man, yeah, I got people to lose 20 pounds. How many people kept it off? You know, how many people developed a lifelong relationship with exercise and nutrition? And it was almost none. It's like, if they didn't hire me and they weren't working with me, they didn't work out. They had to be with me all the time. I thought, this can't be right. Like, you shouldn't have to work with a trainer for the rest of your life. There's nothing wrong with doing that. That was part of the business model. Yep. I mean, unfortunately, you want your clients to continually come back to see you. And so this is actually kind of a tough one to relieve yourself and realize that you're trying to prepare them to be able to do this themselves and let them continue on the journey and learn everything they can. But you know, it took me a while to shift into that because it was such a part of the business model I was running was like, you're coming in this many times. And I'm going to handle everything to where I'm just going to, I started to shift it over and start teaching them all of the techniques and all the why behind what we were doing and how they could apply this best within their lifestyle. And it's really just keying into their lifestyle and seeing how they can just tweak and turn certain things to be able to keep them going long term. The truth for me is that I attached my success as a trainer to money, to how much money I was making, how much my schedule was booked, and the company I worked for the time trained me that way. I didn't get rewarded for changing some clients' life or losing them 30 pounds. How many sessions? If I sold a lot of training sessions and my schedule was booked and I was doing more hours than anybody else, I was the best. So that's how I was trained early on was that if I was loaded, my schedule was loaded and I couldn't fit any clients in, I must be kicking ass. But the reality of that was, and I shared that in that episode, I remember looking at all these glass trophies that said I was so great. And then I started going back through my client folders and going, I wonder where that person is. I haven't seen them again. I haven't seen this person. I haven't seen that person. And these people that I was supposedly helping, even though I might have helped them while they were paying me, when they left, I never saw them again. They weren't training in the gym. They weren't in great shape. Sure, I had some, but it was a very small percentage considering how many people that I was working with. So it wasn't until later in my career. And it's hard because if you're making money and you're booking your schedule all the time, then you feel like, oh, I must be doing a really good job. And I'm happy and I need to make a livelihood. So everything's all good. And I really thought that that was the model was if I did such a good job while they were with me, they would almost be afraid to do it on their own. So that would keep them coming back or keep them longer in my books. And so that was success. And I was afraid to really make that switch to not worrying about that and really worrying on helping them and changing their lives. What I found though was when I stopped caring so much about the money aspect and filling my book and really like diving into how can I be a better trainer and get my clients to learn these behaviors and actually go off on their own and teach others or continue doing it themselves. Once I made that switch, it actually became even easier to keep my schedule filled. Isn't that funny? Yeah, because early it was a hustle, right? It was like I was always selling. I was always going after people and trying to get people in my schedule. And I was good at it at convincing people to train with me and they enjoyed it while they were with me. But it was a constant hustle. Once I shift my focus on really trying to change behaviors in these people's lives, give them the tools to go on without me. And that became my desired outcome. Like initially it was never my desired outcome. My desired outcome when I got a client was convince this person they never want to leave me. Convince this person that I am as valuable as their car payment, their PG&E bill and all these other things that they pay for in their life. Now you have the Adam bill and I'm worth it, right? So that was like the desired outcome. My desired outcome later on began. How much can I help this person in the shortest amount of time to give them the tools to go on for the rest of their life without ever needing me? When I shift that focus that way, then the referral base of people that I would start to get, I wouldn't have to solicit anymore. I didn't have to go get. People would be constantly talking about it. Well, what you realize is there's a whole lot to cover. It takes a long time. It takes a long time. And so to try and think that, oh, I need to keep their attention. I need to keep them coming back and them paying me. It's like if you just turn and shift your mind to, I'm going to really try and teach them this one thing in this session and then just kind of build upon that. It almost seems endless the amount of information and techniques and things that you could pass on to this person. The irony is doing it that way. You're far more successful just like you said, Adam. They get way more value out of it. Way more value. You're more of a guide than a drill sergeant. I look at myself as an oracle. What you're doing is you're guiding them to be able to figure these things out and do them on their own. And it does take a lot of time. And this is what it ended up looking like in my business. It ended up looking like this. When I started to figure this out and I really started to get good, a client would hire me and initially they'd meet with me two or three days a week. And then I'd train them for a while and then I'd meet with them two days a week. And then I'd train them for a while, then they'd meet with me once a week. And eventually I'd get a client to work with me once a month. And then my schedule filled up with people who would see me once a week, once every the week, or once a month. And I had all these clients that did that and then they would come in or do stuff on their own in between. And it was literally just to come see me at the beginning of the month. What have you been doing? Let me change your routine. You have some pain. Let me show you some correctional exercise. And then I had this base of clients that was definitely permanent and the referrals were insane from doing it this way. And it sounds counter because you think, oh, if I teach them to do on their own, they're going to leave me and I'm not going to have any clients. It doesn't work that way. Do a phenomenal job and you'll build your business even more. When I look back now at the last batch of clients that I trained, every single one of them is still doing what they deal with me. Every single one of them is consistent. And that's what I really truly consider success now.