Proactive, Persistent and Pleasant

Being proactive, persistent and pleasant is what sets working fitness models apart from people who have great physiques and beautiful faces but don’t get jobs in the industry. Those three words have been the keys to my success in fitness modeling and television, and I’m going to show you how to put the three Ps into practice.

Here’s a perfect example. I got a phone call from a friend who told me that IRONMAN was looking for a model for a video project. I was excited and told him that I’d get my photo and r’sum’ in the mail right away. He suggested that I put on a tank top and shorts’to highlight my physique’and drive 2 1/2 hours to deliver my photo and r’sum’ in person.

My immediate thought was, ‘Wouldn’t it be easier to just mail the stinking things?’ After all, it would save me five hours in the car, $20 in gas and potential embarrassment. He insisted that I should be proactive’and he was right!

I called IRONMAN photographer Mike Neveux’s studio, said I’d be in the area for some other business and asked if I could come in to say hi and deliver my promotional packet.

When I got there, I was nervous and a bit uncomfortable’after all, I didn’t make a habit of running around industrial warehouses in tight shorts and a tank top. But I got to meet Michael Neveux, photographer extraordinaire’and he was impressed. He told me later that my approach got me the video job, an IRONMAN cover and more.

Not all jobs come that easily, and that’s where being persistent and pleasant comes in. I walked into the IM studio with a smile on my face and was friendly to everyone I met. Even if I hadn’t gotten the job, my good-natured attitude would have made an impression when it came time for the next opportunity. And I would have been right back there for that new chance at a paying job, with a proactive approach and a pleasant disposition. By now you should be getting the idea that being proactive, persistent and pleasant is a cycle. You really can’t have one without the others and expect to succeed in such a competitive business as fitness modeling. If your proactive approach gets you a job, you’d better be pleasant during the shoot and persistent in fostering a relationship with the person who hired you.

Based on the response to my first few columns, I know that many of you desire to break into fitness modeling. The three Ps are powerful tools that can help you reach your goals. My advice is to practice being proactive, persistent and pleasant in all aspects of your life, and see what a difference it makes.

Editor’s note: Send your questions to [email protected]. His new book, You Too Can Be a Fitness Model, is available from Home Gym Warehouse, 1-800-447-0008 or at www.home-gym.com.