Fakes and Frauds; Shopping for Integrity and Honesty

Last week I was working out with my buddy Matt.

The exercise scientist and the physio (physical) therapist (two old farts) in the gym going hard at it and lifting heavy.
And while the other young, new-age trainers were balancing precariously on their wobble boards, hanging off cables like gorillas in the mist and generally championing the cause of functional training, the bodybuilding relics who have been training together for twenty something years were well and truly engrossed in their very nonfunctional, irrelevant, old-school workout of bench press, lat pulls and dead-lifts; not a wobble board, exercise ball or pilates bench in sight.
Bliss.

My rotator cuffs, bulging discs and forty three year-old joints could be heard screaming from the next suburb... but it was all worth it.
It's always worth it.

But alas, I digress... and I haven't even started!

So there we were.. in between lifting heavy stuff when Matt shared an interesting (almost unbelievable) story with me:

"So I went and trained at (un-named gym) this week and saw something interesting."
"What?"
"A guy (personal trainer) who was training two ladies..."
"And?"
"Well, they were on the floor doing some abs, he was reclining his big fat ass on one of the benches, looking totally disinterested in his clients..."
"Yeh..."
"...and totally engrossed in the MEAT PIE he was STUFFING INTO HIS FAT FACE!"
"NO!!!!!!... In the actual gym?"
"Yep."

Now, I'm not sure what bothers me most about this story: (1) the pie eater or (2) the clients who are stupid enough to pay a junk food-eating, out-of-shape, disinterested idiot to get them in shape.
Girls, lift your standards!
Here's a hint... if he's not walking the talk, he probably ain't gonna be enormous value to you.
Any value in fact.

I dunno about you guys, but fakes and frauds are very low on my people-to-hang-out-with list... especially those who want to take your money under the pretense of being an 'expert' who can help you create your best life (body, financial situation, career, mind-set, relationships).

And I have dealt with many...

I always wondered about that financial advisor I met who didn't actually have any money, assets or investments of his own (I checked him out).
And the (numerous) life-coaches I've met who don't (remotely) have their own lives together.
And the delusional psychologist I know who tries to date (!) his patients.
And the sixty year-old marriage counselor who is in her fifth marriage and tried to tell me how relationships work.
And the dynamic business coach I spoke with last week... who's never actually succeeded in business.
And the numerous personal trainers I've met who abuse drugs and alcohol and then chastise their clients for eating carbs after three!

I could go on.. but you get my point.

They are the Milli Vanilli's of the 'goods and services' world; lip syncing money out of your pocket and trust out of your heart.

Keep in mind that... 93% of communication is non-verbal, so if you want to know what people are REALLY like, listen less and watch more.
What people DO will tell you way more about them than anything that ever comes out of their mouth.
Many people tell us what (they think) we want to hear.. especially when it's in their financial interest.
If they're (consistently) saying one thing and doing another they're not the real deal.
No shit Sherlock.

So next time you're shopping for a service or product, put integrity and honesty at the top of your list and you'll save yourself some heart-ache and money.