Zestchoice

"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has to overcome." - Booker T. Washington

I simply have to share this because I thought it was a beautiful saying 😊

Hey guys! I hope everyone is having a fantastic day! As some of you guys may know, I'll be going to the US (July 19th-21st) to explore a business opportunity with some of my contacts there to see how well we can work together.

If you guys have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me here or WhatsApp.

I'm really excited to tell everybody about my trip once I'm back! 😊

Much Love,
Anthony

"Move with fear and make it your friend."

According to Denise Fournier (a licensed psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, and coach), there are 3 fundamental qualities to have a healthy relationship with fear:

1. Curiosity
2. Compassion
3. Courage

My biggest takeaway with curiosity (according to her) is that it's an antidote to fear. Reason being is that once we train our mind to SLOW down, we start to see, think, and REACT to things differently because we start to see choices, options, and solutions (we also have a choice to recoil or shut down). This is not an easy thing to do as it requires consistent practice and not many people are mindful that it's an initial instinct. The beautiful thing about being in a curious state of mind is that we start to give less energy to fear because we're in an inquisitive and explorative state of mind.

8 Ways to Practice Self-Compassion
(According to Sharon Martin, licensed psychotherapist & codependency expert)

1. Acknowledge that you're struggling
2. Accept that you're imperfect and that's normal
3. Give yourself compliments (still practicing)
4. Accept compliments from others
5. Set boundaries
6. Invest in self-improvement (like exercise lol!)
7. Honor your feelings (difficult..but I see the importance of it)
8. Comfort yourself like a baby

As you guys can see, I comfort myself like a baby a few days ago at one of my favourite cafes called The Oats Kafe by trying out their lychee iced tea 😆😊

Last sweat sesh of 2023! Coming into the new year, if there is one lesson I have to remember and have yet to embrace is having the "courage to be disliked". It's normal to have a desire to be liked and it's a good feeling to be accepted. But not many people tend to think deeply about the fear of being rejected since it is a difficult feeling to process. Leading your own life really takes courage because you don't avoid difficult conversations, being able to speak up, live fully and authentically, and set clear boundaries. You're willing to take the risk of being judged, abandoned, rejected, and acknowledged the fear of being unaccepted by others.

I would like everybody (including myself) to remember 7 things ⚠️:

1. You cannot please everyone.
2. Your relationship problems mirror the conflicts you have with yourself.
3. Seeking recognition will never fulfill you. (I align with this)
4. You are not responsible for the task of others.
5. Feeling inferior and feeling superior are from a distrust of self. And a need to be liked. (I feel this)
6. Building close relationships is brave because it requires you to face the fear of rejection. (100%!)
7. When you radically take care of yourself it might make other people uncomfortable.

Also, surprise announcement!! My first song is dropping at midnight on YouTube! Give it a listen!! Appreciate all the love and support! 👇👇

https://youtu.be/eDqfuC9lDxA

💥PT Service Update!💥
Effective: December 27th, 2023 at 12am!

More to be announced! Thank you everyone for giving me a great year! I love you all and appreciate the support!! 😊

Pt. 3, featuring Minton (from my other 2 previous posts lol)

To , thanks for being a good friend! 😊

To .r.f_new, sorry that you couldn't make it to the axe throwing event. I just wanted to let you know that if you ever need support as my client or friend, I'll always be around 😄

To , thank you for everything! I had a good time meeting Jake 😊

To , thanks for always being around man. Appreciate it! 😃

To , thanks for being an awesome friend! :)

To .atl, thanks for being the best sis in the world, and it's good to know that you care 😊

Whew..ok, I'm done! Never did a three part post before and I didn't realize that my gratitude list was that long LOL!

Thank you everyone!

Pt. 2 (from previous post)

Photo 8: To .mercurial.virgo, thank you for everything you've done for me and I'm glad you told me that I've been doing my part well as your trainer and coach! I look forward to seeing you in the new year once your work and married life is settling down 😆 (By the way, congratulations! I'm so happy for you guys!! 😊)

To , thank you for reminding me to chill out, smile, be happy and have fun! I always appreciate your good vibes! 😁

To , thank you for always being here for me since day 1 😊

To , thank you always for your insight and wisdom. I will never forget what you told me about how authentic happiness comes from inside of you and how materials, accolades, and other external factors are just temporary.

Photo 9: To .142, I hope you're having fun with your family at Pennsylvania and I appreciate all the sweat and work you put in at the gym for the past few months. Just wanted to let you know that I'll always have your back bro! 😊

To , words cannot describe the sense of appreciation I have for you. Without you and your perspective, I wouldn't even know what to do. Thanks for telling me "as long as I have one client, my business is still alive." 😊😁😭

Photo 10: Thanks .mufti for being with me since the beginning and being one of my most encouraging client and friend 😊

Special mentions:

Thank you all studio owners for your hospitality

tokinesiology





To my other clients and friends

To , I hope you're having fun and staying safe in your travels! I look forward to seeing you back in the new year at the gym and I always appreciate the TV shows that you've been recommending to me 😊

To .design.ua, I will never forget your presence and energy. I wish you a Merry Christmas and happy holidays and keep working hard on your beautiful pins! 😁

To , I appreciate your kindness, energy and company! I look forward to seeing you back at the gym in the new year. Always know that I'm a text or phone call away if you ever need support 😊

Hello everyone! I hope everybody is having an amazing Christmas! I just want to take a moment to thank everybody for reaching out to my event a few days ago. This meant a lot to me as somehow my brand and business is able to survive for the past two years despite my limited resources, education, and experience. Words can not describe my gratitude to how I feel towards every single one of you! Thank you so much! I look forward to what the new year will bring and I'm glad to call every single one of you family! 😊😭

Photo 1: Thank you for having us! We had an amazing time! 😊

Photo 2: Thank you for keeping my sense of "hope" alive. I felt that I would've never pulled through life and business without you (especially business within the last few months has been rough but you encouraged me to live life for myself and take care of my personal worth away from this aspect of my life). I will never forget this, and you told me that I accomplished a lot at this point in my life. What I have is enough 😊😭

Photo 3: Thank you for being a pal! I can't wait for what the new year will bring for us and thank you for being a true confidant and friend, and remind me to live life a little. I will never forget how you've been helping me to overcome my fear of heights and told me that people care about me 😊

Photo 4: Thank you for expanding my coaching knowledge and ideas while giving me great toolbox ideas as well. It was unfortunate that you couldn't come to the event but I wish both you and Daniel happy holidays!! 😁

Photo 5: To Eni and Countess, I wish the both of you guys happy holidays and thank you for reaching out to my event. I'm glad you guys have fun! I look forward to getting to know you guys better in the new year!

Photo 6: Thank you .zyu for everything you've done for me! I wish you a happy holiday and safe travels wherever you are. I look forward when you're ready to come back to the gym :)

Photo 7: To Jeeva, I look forward to getting to know you better in the new year and I want to let you know that I appreciate your enthusiasm and energy for the past few weeks! 😊

⚠️Disclaimer: I'm not an expert on this subject but I would like to bring awareness on this as I thought it might help someone in giving them a healthy perspective to think about and how they can apply it in their life 😊

From what I read in Psychology Today which I thought it was considerable to think about was that shame is a concealed, contagious, and dangerous emotion for several reasons if left unchecked. It informs you of your internal state of inadequacy, unworthiness, dishonor, regret, or disconnection (from my own thought process, I know I'm still sorting out my feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness but I'm glad you guys are here to make me feel connected and I'm not regretting my career one bit 😊). It is a clear sign that our positive feelings have been interrupted and another person or circumstance can trigger the "shame" response in us. Also, it can be a failure to meet our own ideals or standards (I have yet to discuss this with a therapist to make these things clear). Given that shame can lead us to feel as though our whole self is flawed, bad, or subjected to exclusion, it motivates us to hide or to do something to save face (which I alluded to how I could’ve used my brand but now I'm glad it evolved into a positive community).

As you can see, this is why I value therapy (I tell myself this is nothing to be embarrassed about and I won't hide my experience) regardless if you have depression, anxiety or not because there are so many external factors we run into our lives that influence us how we think, feel, decide, and how it shapes our perspective.

How to navigate shame (and even su***de) to the root cause (out of many factors as to why) requires perspective since it is placed in context of our environment, current concerns and relationships.

To end things off, I want to tell you guys that I learned self-observation that is often prompted by shame provides an opportunity to learn, change, improve, or do something different entirely 😊

⚠️Disclaimer⚠️

"There is nothing wrong with admitting that you need people and things you love to stay in your life. However, you should always be your number one priority, and therefore it's important to establish a healthy, emotional connection with yourself first." -

Authentic coach series #2: Story time! First of all, I would like to thank everybody , , , , .zyu, .r.f_new, .mercurial.virgo, , , .design.ua, , .142, , .mufti, , , , and for nearly giving me an amazing 2 years of my life! I truly am glad that my brand has evolved into a fitness community that everybody can benefit from.Throughout this month of self-reflection, I recalled that I never mentioned the original intention as to why I created my own brand. Back in the spring of 2022, I'm glad that I have met my first 2 clients Sibel and Bahar that gave me a positive direction in my life. I kept the fact hidden that I could’ve used my brand for my own personal issues that I don't want to face or acknowledge but everybody here gave me the courage to face it head on. Without the intervention of my therapist and Bahar, I could’ve been in a tricky situation with the victim mentality. I want to let everybody know that it's NORMAL to have days when it feels like the world is against us and that life is unfair. You can really benefit from having a conversation with a therapist if this situation and feeling become more persistent. You may feel like there's nothing you can do to change your circumstances but that isn't true. There's ALWAYS something you can do. I could’ve used my brand to create a facade where I could be perceived that I have everything together but that's not the case. It's amazing how being with the right people can change your life. I may not have a life partner, a house and a car, and I still struggle with my own business and finances. That's OK. Even the fact that some people from my personal circle doesn’t support my career and that's OK! There's a solution to everything. 😊

"Don't wait till you reach your goal to be proud of yourself. Be proud of every single step you take."

"Courage is expressing your vulnerability while being responsible for it, and tackling the fear of the unknown while not being attached to the outcome."

Client Introduction (08/31/23): Hello everyone! Meet my stunning client Niloufar . Mental health nurse, avid reader, holistic health and wellness enthusiast, shopaholic, a mother of a teenage son, and cancer survivor. I remembered when we first met and how we hit it off really well was that you're looking for a personal trainer with good knowledge of nutrition and age development since you are aware of your age and how your body has changed post cancer diagnosis and treatments. Ultimately, you're looking for a personal trainer that is creative, adaptive, flexible, and most importantly, open-minded. Someone who is able to be patient and willing to go through the trial and error process. A month went by, and I was surprised at how our dynamic evolved into a blossoming friendship. You made me question my sense of spirituality which I have never thought of doing and I appreciate your help and attentive listening when I wasn't mentally and emotionally at my best. I hardly tell anyone about my suicidal ideation saved for a very select few, but you listened to me in a non-judgmental and compassionate manner. Currently, I'm going through a rough patch with my business, finances, and other personal circumstances but you encouraged me to think in a different perspective and that life is good. You encouraged me to explore my sense of pride and how I feel about my current attachments to achievements. Words cannot express on how I feel grateful towards you and how you encouraged me to think that there is a "silver lining" to everything. Recently, you said ever since we started working together, you've gained the undesired 8 pounds but noticed that your glute muscles looks more "lifted" haha 😂 (pic #4 from 8/31/23 and pic #5 from 10/24/23). I look forward to our learning journey together and see how we can work together to reframe your "all or nothing" thinking to managing your goals, and most importantly, build a sustainable healing journey for you 😊

Hello everyone! I would never thought beyond my wildest dreams that I lived to see the day that my brand "zestchoice" would ever become a thing. I remembered how it all started as a "silly" conversation with one of my Starbucks partners on a slow shift day and would never think that it would become a reality. Fast forward to my first event until now, in all honesty, I'm still in shock and disbelief at how the brand evolved into a community within a short time span of a year and a half. I would've never believed that such a risky business venture that has a potential to not bear results, can be a waste of my time, can further worsen my previous mental and emotional state, turns out to be one of my best decisions in my life! I would like to take the time to thank everyone that had contributed and helped me through the mission statement idea.

Now, to express my gratitude to all of you who made this possible 😊:

Photo 2: , My biggest contributor, partner, and accountability partner in this entire process. Thank you for being with me in every of the step of the way to guide me, encourage me, and give me some creative ideas to form my community identity based on my core values, our conversations, and training experience you have with me. I will never forget this 😊

Photo 3: .rebel.astrologer, thanks for being my 2nd biggest contributor, cheerleader, and a staunch supporter when I felt like I'm losing momentum. I will never forget how you took time out of your busy schedule to offer me gentle encouragement, wisdom, and words of advice to look deep within myself and think what I'm all about and what I have to offer.

Photo 4: , thank you always for your ongoing and continuous support 😁

Photo 5: , thanks for your input and your current feedback of me as a coach 😁😁

Photo 6: .zyu, thank you for your direct feedback 😯

Photo 7: .mufti, thanks for a few word arrangement suggestions 😊

Photo 8: , I always appreciate your honest opinion 😁👍

Photo 9: , thanks for your input and opinion!

Special thanks to my other friends that got involved 😊:

Why is building a community so important?

Besides it being a crucial business strategy for a multitude of industries, I would like to touch on the four important things on how it influence our health. It cultivates a sense of belonging, trust, shared experience, and knowledge. In essence, it boosts your social/relational health well-being. This aspect of an individual's deep health is important because it influences your decision making, your existential health, your mental and emotional health. Also, a good community of people will keep you accountable and will help you network or support you in your myriad of needs in life. Another thing I would like to touch on is the shared experience and why having positive memories is important. I'm glad to have met both and that have showed me this wonderfully and why having quality interpersonal relationships was necessary in my life. It really builds your self-esteem, worth, confidence and the reputation you have within yourself that influence how you feel and the current perspective/outlook you have on life. I'm hoping to do my part (within good reason) as a coach to spread the wisdom and message. In short, when we are mentally stressed or in emotional distress, we lose perspective and it's a powerful tool to recall a positive memory. More on that later as there is a lot of research to cover. This is only part 1 of the beach event. More to come!
Credits:

Thanks for making my event setup possible and bringing my idea to life 😊

Thanks .rebel.astrologer for the picture arrangement suggestion 😆😁

Hello everyone! First of all, I would like to give a special thank you to my wonderful client Gina who brought this beautiful project to life. I always had these values in the back of my mind but I always ended up giving myself excuses as to why I never got around to work on them and be active in projecting these ideas and messages which is important for my business. Through a crazy coincidence, in one of our session, my client Gina mentioned she needed an ad model for her college assignment and everything seem to click in place. It's incredible how communication, collaboration, and accountability between two people can create (as a bonus, an assignment that benefited the both of us with different purposes haha). Here it is everyone! My 5 business values 👉 ----->

Coaching is an art. A conversation. It is a PROCESS that requires work from both the client and the coach. Most importantly, it requires an honest open-ended dialogue, TRUST and COLLABORATING effort between the two parties. It is an interesting dance between two different lives and personalities intertwining together.
Photo Credit📸: Joel Lopez

There is so much I want to say about this picture that I'm at a loss for words. This picture captured this single "moment" beautifully about one of the things I want to achieve in my growing career, which is building my client's "story". People coming into the fitness space for a variety of reasons, whether it's for fun, reducing stress after a long day at work, or trying to achieve something more deeper and complex like personal growth or specific body composition. It's all about talking to the people and providing appropriate SUPPORT to match their needs. This is something I never had, but I'm willing to provide if we're able to work together. Throughout my life, I felt fortunate about one thing, and that was my education. Education was my only CONSISTENT ally. After 5 long years, through many obstacles and setbacks, I've achieved my desired body composition. To be honest, I felt lucky on my part by experimenting through appropriate trial and error because it's no easy task and it's much harder to achieve on your own considering obstacles and other life factors. I'm used to being treated as another member or a number back when I was a consuming gym member. I had worked with other personal trainers in the past as a short term client since they only treat me as "getting the job done", another rate for their cheque, or don't consider my financial circumstances. I get no help beyond the training sessions, no consistency, no communication, no consideration. It's depressing to think there is such a large disconnect in our world, and now I'm glad I have the ability to change this (with the people's help of course, along with being positive and consistently working on it). With a space of my own, I want to revamp the meaning of "connection".
Photo Credit📸: Joel Lopez

"Stick with the fundamentals consistently."
Photo Credit📸: Joel Lopez

A little flexing moment couldn't hurt...but don't be like Popeye kids 🤣
Photo Credit📸: Joel Lopez

"Evolve. Adapt. Believe. Keep the faith strong!" 🙏
Photo Credit📸: Joel Lopez

"Be consistent on your own terms."
Photo Credit📸: Joel Lopez

Be laser focused! 👀
Photo Credit📸: Joel Lopez

How low can you go? How low can you go? How low can you go?...🎶📣
Photo Credit📸: Joel Lopez

Hi guys! I'm alive!

First and foremost, I want to thank everybody from the bottom of my heart for supporting me on my personal training journey and my professional growth. I had to go MIA for a bit due to personal hardships. I woke up today, feeling a strong sense of hopelessness which I haven't felt in a long time. I simply wanted to stay in my bedroom corner and wanted to cry for the entire morning. But in my heart and mind, said I couldn't do it. What does that solve? I haven't felt like my teenage self (or a version of me a few years back) in a long time, prone to rumination, self-doubt, and self-sabotaging. I simply kicked my own ass out the door and went for a run knowing it will put my mind at ease. After that, I wrote in my journal questioning how I feel about my day and challenge the "negative" thoughts in my mind:

Nobody cares about me. ->That's a lie. Believe in the small amount of people that do. That's all you ever need.

Nobody is supporting me in my ambitions, goals, and my desire to start/ grow a business. --> I believe in the small group of people that support my professional and personal growth.

I "failed" two job interviews and the rest don't bother replying back. ---> So what? Have faith in the process that you will progress. Have faith and patience that you will find another way to learn, grow and network. There will always be other opportunities and options. Find what works for you.

On a positive note: I'm planning to have more kickass content coming up! 😁
Photo Credit📸: Joel Lopez
Special Credits🙂:
Markus B Music
Joel Lopez
Sunny Cee
Sibel M***i