Posted by Morag Barrett | September 14, 2013Everyone needs a DonnaI am a new woman… at least I would like to think I am.  Throughout this year I have been visiting my local gym every Saturday morning without fail, and I have one person to thank for that, Donna, my personal trainer.  This morning when I arrived she asked how I was feeling and I gave her a heartfelt response “It’s pointless, I’m thinking of packing it in…” yes, I was experiencing the full effects of “pity city” and while the rational part of my brain accepts that going to the gym once a week is ok, I need to stop the excuses and find a way to go two or three times if I want to see dramatic change, despite the logic I was still feeling sorry for myself.  Wishing I were fit is not an effective strategy!And so Donna got the full on “It’s pointless, I’m thinking of packing it in…” at which point she gave me her pep talk, my mood lightened, and we went on to complete my workout where she continued to whip me into shape.  So why do you need a Donna?  Here are four good reasons…Donna’s keep you in the game when you are ready to give up.  She listened to my whining and self-pity and instead of sympathizing with “oh yes it is hard… go on give up” she gave me encouragement, she showed me how the changes I had made to my diet were having an impact, she followed up with the data and facts (A machine that measured the physical changes) and gave me a couple of suggestions to keep me moving forward. She got me back in the game, without her pep talk this morning I probably would have gone home.Donna’s push you out of your comfort zone. When I am working out I am counting reps like a fiend… 7,8,9… willing myself to the magic number when she says “stop”.  I have noticed that when I am at “7,8,9” Donna will start counting out loud “6, 7, 8” and it seems like it is ALWAYS one or two numbers less than I have  counted… and yet I keep going, I give those extra few and as a result it makes me stronger.Donna’s change your game.  I hate lunges. There I have said it. I’ve said it to Donna.  Today I didn’t want to do them, my 7 year-old self was being pouty and difficult.  Donna came up with a new game (equally tortuous) a different exercise that worked the same muscles, and one that I actually enjoyed (yes I said that outloud too… I enjoyed it). She worked around my preferences, my skill level to change my game in a way that still helps me achieve my end goal.Donna’s celebrate your wins.  Today’s workout was particularly hard, not in complexity, just in physical and mental effort.  At the end I was done and looking forward to sitting down with a cup of tea to recover.  Donna wasn’t going to let me go that easily and made a point of writing down the progress I had made, to celebrate, and of course to set me a new target for next time (she never lets up!).In my upcoming book I talk about the importance of Ally relationships.  Those people who have your back, who are committed to your success.  People you trust, that keep you in the game when things get tough, push you out of your comfort zone and help you to strengthen and change your game so that you can enjoy success.  Donna is my Ally when it comes to my physical well being, and I am hers, I am not going to let either of us down and together I am going to reach my fitness goals.When it comes to your career, who is your Donna?  Related ArticlesTags »Cultivating Winning RelationshipsEmotional IntelligenceTrustWorking with difficult people Share