Since you
and I have joined StrongFirst—and even its predecessor RKC—we have been on a
great journey.
We
learned high-end lifting skills that made us stronger and better athletes.
We were
taught how to coach strength professionally: from the fundamental principles
and solid science to a toolbox of foolproof progressions and troubleshooting.
Standard in the industry right now thanks to us, this type of education was
unheard of before our organization came along. Those of us who had been around
before remember the boring lectures with occasional brief demonstrations…
Being at
the forefront of this life changing knowledge and reinforced by our network of
like-minded people, many of us applied elbow grease and built highly successful
businesses.
We constantly
worked hard to maintain our status of StrongFirst Certified Instructors by
always conducting ourselves as students of strength and quiet
professionals. We re-earned it every two years. Our journey was never over.
Then we
were hand-picked to join our leadership. The prestige of being members of this
exclusive team and the exposure and networking opportunities that came with it
opened many doors. Several of us are now among the best-known names in the
industry and many are well recognized.
We have
been presented with the opportunity to participate at all of our certifications
and special events at no charge, to license StrongFirst’s life changing
knowledge and host and teach courses and, for some, certifications. Those of us
who added our own effort and business sense became highly successful.
I join
you to imagine what our lives would have been today if we never have become
StrongFirst. I hope you will share my feeling of gratitude.
Being a
member of the StrongFirst Leadership is not just about the benefits that we
derive from it. It’s also about the responsibilities we hold on behalf of our
school of strength and our community. StrongFirst counts on your support to
pursue its mission of making the world a stronger place!
When we
accepted our position in the Leadership, we also accepted that the shield of
the School of Strength was printed indelibly on us. When people see us, they
see StrongFirst. The two entities, our physical person and StrongFirst, are inseparable.
Whatever we do, say, or post, it’s not only us acting, speaking, or posting—but
also StrongFirst. Our private lives are confined within the four walls of our
homes, but in public venues and on social media, we constantly represent
StrongFirst.
We
inspire people with our words and actions, and many see us as role models. We
have the power to help people and motivate them by providing a good example and
always being the first to do what we preach. But this is also a double-edged
sword. If we make a mistake, we can deliver an incorrect message, give a bad
example to those who are inspired by us, and misrepresent our school. It is therefore
crucial that we are always cautious in our actions and think twice before we
act, talk, or post. It is not about us, but about all those who follow us and
the integrity of our school.
I will
paraphrase John F. Kennedy: “Ask not what
your school can do for you—ask what you can do for your school.”
The first
expectation is to keep our blades sharp.
We are required
to be certified in all our three modalities and hold an NCCA accredited
certification in the US (or your country’s equivalent).
We are
strongly encouraged to attend our special events (Plan Strong, Strong
Endurance, Second Wind, StrongFirst Resilient, etc.)—at no charge. And to
continue our education also outside of StrongFirst.
The
second expectation is to be a quiet professional. We all know what that means.
The third
expectation is to actively promote our school of strength, StrongFirst. There
are many ways to do it.
Proudly
wear our colors. When appearing at conferences, in videos, etc., let our StrongFirst
shield show. When writing something on social media or in an article, make sure the
reader knows we are StrongFirst. Leave no doubt to whoever comes to our
websites or social media pages that we are StrongFirst.
Organize
and/or teach courses and certifications…Host TSC…Become volunteer strength
coaches to first responders, military, older kids…Write articles, for
StrongFirst and outside…Participate on our forum…Contribute to polishing the
chrome of our manuals…Develop new special events…Be active on social media on
behalf of StrongFirst…Bring fresh blood into our school…Take your pick.
There are
administrative expectations as well: participating in a Leadership meeting at
least once every three meetings, joining the quarterly calls with our DOE at
least twice a year, being available for calls with the DOE and the HQ upon
their request.
It is not
written in stone that once earned, our position in the Leadership is tenured
forever. We are to earn it over and over. If some of us do not meet the
expectations or are no longer happy to be on our team, their position in the
leadership will expire. Best of luck and no hard feelings, just making room for
someone with the passion. Those who exceed the expectations, will be considered
for promotion.
Last
year, also thanks to the contribution of many of you, we accomplished many
great things. We opened several new countries (Mexico, Costa Rica, China,
Taiwan, Czechia, Spain, etc.), and increased the overall number of events:
Courses, Certifications and Special Events. We launched the Accredited Gym
Program, the StrongFirst Podcast, the Online Course, the Unified
Recertification, etc.
This year
we have already launched a new Special Event, StrongFirst Resilient, and we
have others in the works. We have introduced the new Instructor Certificates that
reward those who stay with us through the years, and we are about to launch several
new online courses and the new Online Recertification which will keep up with
the highest standards of our testing procedures, while at the same time making
them more user friendly. We are working on new resources and benefits for our
Accredited Gyms and our Certified Instructors, on improving our website, and
other projects that will be announced soon. We recently published a new e-book,
Reload. Finally, a brand-new book by Pavel has been printed and is ready
to be unleashed.
We look forward to great things in the months
and years to come, and your support will be crucial in turning all these and future
initiatives into great successes.
I would
like to personally thank each one of you for all you do for StrongFirst and for
helping our School of Strength pursue its mission.
May we
all be united in our mission to make the world a stronger place.
Power to
us!
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