Scott Abel's Philosophy

From very early on in my career and my life, it just became clear to me that my thinking was much different than that of those around me. For many years I couldn't put my finger on it in a way that could be defined. But the reality of this difference just kept getting clearer and clearer. And the combination of my education in the area of psychology, sociology and culture, along with years in social work, allowed me to hone this skill that had remained undeveloped for many years. This is the skill I now use to coach people.

It became clear to me that my high performance in academia, and then in the bodybuilding world, was due to the way I processed information and the experienced the world around me. My motivations were always bright, never dark, yet I didn't see much of that around me. I witnessed people climb to success in bodybuilding, but while doing so they created a huge void of emptiness in their lives. It seemed in order to achieve a high level of accomplishment; many had to sacrifice so much of everything else.

I came to discover that physical behaviours were outcomes of the mind. And that actions labelled "success" or "failure" were defined by much more than just "outcomes." I consistently observed people achieving a goal, only to lose everything else in the process. And it just made no sense to me.

Conversely, I also witnessed people who had the same physical goals for decades and never ever achieved them. And while I used to scratch my head and wonder why, the answers were always there. I began to look at the way clients think and feel about their goals. I coined the phrase "mindset determines behaviour." Or, more precisely, the "quality of mindset determines the quality of behaviour." Whether someone achieves a goal or not becomes less important than the consequences of doing so.

I discovered that much of what motivates people is just "stinkin thinkin" and more is lost than is ever gained this way. Any pursuit should lead to a more well-rounded person, and not a person who suffers mentally or emotionally by trying to achieve a life goal. Life goals are supposed to enhance a person, not diminish a person.

I relied heavily on the "biofeedback" of clients, what their bodies and minds and feelings were experiencing during the undertaking of achieving their goals. It became obvious that sometimes the obstacles in their way were not their programs or diets but their faulty thinking or feelings about them, often thinking or feelings they couldn't recognize in themselves. This all led me away from mere applications of diets and programs. I started focusing on the person, the client as a whole entity. As such, I realized there were three component parts that lead someone not only to success but to an enhanced life because of that success. I called this philosophy The Triangle of Awareness.

The Triangle of Awareness
I began to realize that people's physique goals were not ends in themselves. People didn't really want the enhanced physique. They wanted what they thought the enhanced physique would bring to their lives. I started to realize that, no matter what the client goal may be, when I broke it down, they were all pursuing their version of wellness and health. And to accomplish this I understood something they did not seem to realise. They needed a balanced proportion of mental, emotional, and physical well-being, the three elements in the Triangle of Awareness.

Being in great health or "feeling" well-being on a deep level is about much more than physical fitness or freedom from illness. Good mental and emotional health also dictates the level of a happy and content life experience. So many of my clients are unhappy and unfulfilled and they mistakenly construe that a "better body" will fix this. And, of course, this never happens.

Well-being results from taking note of emotional wellness and keeping emotions in check instead of letting emotions overwhelm or incapacitate positive thought, replacing it with negative feelings of pressure, desolation, anxiety, stress and the like. In this mindset, no matter what is achieved in the physical plane, there is no wellness. Therefore, any achievement is temporary.

The Triangle of Awareness is about the reality that taking care of your physical body is but one side of what should be a balanced triangle which also includes mental and emotional health and resilience. The more skewed any side of the triangle becomes in one plane - physical, mental, emotional - the more out of balance someone is in reality, regardless of appearances. And frankly, they know it and they feel it too.

It became obvious to me to coach the person not the program. And it became equally obvious that client health and well-being should be the foundation upon which the rest of coaching is based. Because real life changes are only possible and sustainable when there is a healthy balance in the Triangle of Awareness.