Trust Your Inner Voice
Tommy Boone, PhD, MPH, MA, FASEP,
EPC
Professor and Chair
Director, Exercise Physiology Laboratories
Department of Exercise Physiologists
The College of St. Scholastica
Duluth, MN 55811
“When you dance, the whole
universe dances.” – Jalaluddin Rumi
THERE IS a significant trait
that defines exercise physiologists from other healthcare professionals.
It is their “inner voice”. The emergence of a way of thinking that
has created a revolutionary change from previous thinking in the field.
It has signaled a major transformation of exercise physiology into a “Society”
of exercise physiologists. Today’s exercise physiologists no longer
depend on other organizations for leadership. Instead, they depend
on their knowledge, on their vision, and on their right and responsibility
to lead and manage the emerging profession. The sports medicine dependence
is over. The time for exercise physiology has come.
The change has also allowed for a
feeling of security and power through selling exercise physiology.
Trusting our inner voice has increased the range of legitimate possibilities
in thinking and behavior and, yet there are still many challenges ahead
of us. All of our problems are not solved by any stretch of the imagination.
Taking responsibility for our actions, in fact, often leads to significantly
more issues and actions. However, what is important is if we believe
that exercise physiology can be (and is) a profession, then others will
believe it too. If we believe that we can handle our problems and
plan for future, then others will see it too. This brief article
is about trusting your inner voice and following your heart.
The Purpose of a Profession
As a college professor, it all too
common to hear of my students discuss the financial benefit of majoring
in physical therapy versus exercise physiology. At times, I enter
the discussion to place some emphasis on finding a career that matches
your passion and not your pocket book. Frankly, not a lot of students
are impressed or, at least, they don't seemed to be. Money talks.
Those who make more money than their counterpart often feel that they receive
more respect and position for their academic effort. It should not
be that way, but it is and everyone understands my point. So, what
does this have to do with the “purpose of a profession”? It has a
lot to do with it, especially since the purpose of a profession
is not suppose to be about money. It is about helping people in the
public sector.
Students who continue with exercise
physiology are hopeful and optimistic. Their vision is inspiring,
and they truly want to help people in the public sector avoid problems
or get better. Most believe with that the right education and the
right credentials, they can do just that and still make a living.
They understand that it is the exercise physiologist who defines the field
and who creates possibilities for others. They understand that marketing
and professionalism are important. And, increasingly, more are considering
sitting for the ASEP professional credential -- the “Exercise Physiologist
Certified” (EPC) exam. They are eager to apply the profession’s body
of knowledge that awaits them with a huge number of health-fitness related
conditions, including but not limited to, a young child who is obese, the
mother who is depressed, the middle age man with hypertension, and the
athlete who wants to perform better. Because each is a condition
that exercise, when properly prescribed, can help and the inventory of
“health - fitness - rehabilitation - athletic possibilities” is so huge,
there is the feeling that the purpose of the profession is to benefit society.
Keep in mind one of the most important
reasons that a profession exists is that it has a product that the public
sector wants or needs. There cannot be any disputing the value of
exercise in dealing with and/or correcting many health-related problems.
And, you don’t have to be Einstein to appreciate that the “specialist in
exercise" is the exercise physiologist. There is one hitch, however.
Who is an exercise physiologist? And, can there will a profession
of exercise physiologist without a professional organization? The
answer to the first question is found in the ASEP
Standards of Professional Practice.
"Exercise Physiologist"
means a person who has an academic degree in exercise physiology and who
is certified by ASEP to practice exercise physiology (as an EPC)...." [1]
The answer to the second question is
“no” and, therefore, that is why the American Society of Exercise Physiologists
was founded in 1997. By the way, the “health-related concerns” of
the public sector is the foundation upon which the “practice of exercise
physiology” was written.
The Changing Face of Exercise
Physiologists
Separation from our physical education
upbringing was inevitable with our changing conditions and need to adapt.
The separation has not been an easy transition, however. Without
a lot of sophistication or understanding of the professionalization process,
exercise physiologists failed to recognize the circumstances they faced.
They even failed to understand the problems they were creating by helping
to develop an organization that could not render exercise physiologists
with the professional credentials they needed to flourish in the public
sector. Even now, when multiplied by absolute lack of prior planning,
many are still driven to do the wrong things. Some have learned the
importance of separation of professional ideas, visions, and purposes and,
thus the influence of the ASEP perspective. They are the members
of ASEP, and they expect to realize their dreams by coming together and
supporting each other. In just a ver short time, they have changed
the face of exercise physiology. Their true inner voice is the ever-valued
confident friend who gives each member of ASEP the push when it is needed,
and thus:
“You’ll never be ‘selling
out’ if you follow your instincts and have faith in your dreams.” – Dorothy
Leeds
Coming Together
Each of us has an inner voice that
helps us know where to go, what to do, how to think, and when to act.
The voice is driven by the sense of right and fair play. It is registered
in the tiny ripples of hope in the hearts of all individuals who work for
success. It is
the voice that gives us reason to no
longer be anchored to yesterday’s thinking of who is an exercise physiologist.
Today, even the non-PhD professional with the right education can be an
exercise physiologist. For those who do not realize it, this one
factor is a major distinction from yesterday’s thinking. Now, we
can now create what we want, think as we wish, and do as we please.
Literally speaking, our future is in our own hands for the first time in
the history of the field. And, increasingly, more non-PhD exercise
physiologists are taking advantage of the ASEP vision and perspective.
The collective inquiry, new insights, and sense of direction that has resulted
from the work of ASEP members have set the circumstances to come together
as one.
“My opinion, my conviction,
gains infinitely in strength and success, the moment a second mind has
adopted it.” – Novalis
Believe in Yourself
People want what they believed is
their right to have, especially when they have paid the price to obtain
it. Today, it is virtually guaranteed (and yet I understand there
are major hurdles to jump). With ASEP on your side, there is hope.
It is an impressive difference from what non-PhD exercise physiologists
had just a few years ago. Believing in yourself is “the” difference
as well. As a young professional in the healthcare field of work,
you must be strong and determined. Developing a profession is not
a easy thing to do. Thinking outside of the black box isn't easy
as well. However, it is important that we do both.
ASEP as a glorious landscape of opportunity,
but it does require work. It can be an absolutely fail-safe disciplined
way of thinking when done correctly. Others understand this point
and, therefore, it frustrates them. Still others indulge in possibility
thinking and they understand the importance of having a new landscape.
What is important is that you believe in the leadership of ASEP.
If it sounds right, then flow with it and allow your inner voice to guide
you and to help you along the way (just as ASEP will, too). Believe
in yourself, regardless of what others may think (and especially when no
one else gets the big picture). Seize the opportunity to do something
special, to distinguish yourself so that you can create a stronger you
to help others.
The Inner Voice is Tuned to Hope
not Fear
The reason to listen to your inner
thinking is to avoid fear and to tune into hope as reality. Those
with hope are more likely to lead and to take responsibility that is driven
by their sense of knowing where they want to go and how to get there.
They respect and value themselves, and they are not afraid to share their
thinking. Their inner voice is power and toughness. It is consistent
with the recommendation by Stephen Covey and Tony Robbins:
“Know your own values.
Listen to your heart. Find out what is important to you. When you
begin to listen to your inner thoughts, ideas, and feelings, your self-confidence
changes.”
Having self-confidence is an obvious
plus. It is important to our careers, our professional practices,
and our 21st century thinking. No one can be successful or helpful
without self-confidence. It’s the essence of the mind-set that common
sense is the foundation of hope and the bedrock of creative thinking.
So, stand tall and tell the world:
1. I will succeed.
2. I have the intellect to be a
winner.
3. That my ideas are not dumb but
targets for improvement, and.
4. Regardless of what you say I
will make it.
We are smart enough to know that our
inner thinking is in itself an intelligence that is profitable only to
those who understand their shortcomings yet believe in their inner strengths.
It is they, the non-PhD exercise physiologists (or those who think of themselves
as such) that the search to correct their shortcomings led to the founding
of the American Society of Exercise Physiologists. The “Society”
was formed to guide, direct, motivate, and revitalize the hope of all exercise
physiologists. This is the ASEP reality, regardless if it is unpleasant
to some academic PhDs who still embrace the sports medicine myth [
2].
Their inner thinking is the business of non-exercise physiologists.
Their certifications represent services that distract from the professionalization
of exercise physiology. By contrast, the inner thinking of
the ASEP leadership is linked to faith in the transformation from frustration
to innovative professional corporate and public sector jobs.
Summary Remarks
When we begin to understand that
exercise physiology as we have known it is not perfect, we come to realize
that it is O.K. to question “what is” for “what can be”. We understand
that there is nothing negative or bad about being wrong or misdirected,
except when we fail to change. Leadership is about making decisions
and doing what is right. It is defined by the willingness to change
what isn’t working to something that does work. But, of course, change
requires a certain first step (however long and exhausting) to choose to
be responsible and, if necessary, different. It is also based on
a vision and the willingness to walk the walk. All of this and more
are possible when we trust our inner voice.
References
1. American Society
of Exercise Physiologists (2002). ASEP Board of Certification Standards
of Professional Practice. [Online, May 31, 2002). http://www.asep.org/standards/
2. Boone, T. (2001).
The Sports Medicine Myth. PEPonline,
Vol 4 No 7 July, http://www.asep.org/asep/asep/SportsMedicineMyth.html
Copyright
©1997-2007
American Society of Exercise Physiologists All Rights
Reserved.