You all know how much I love my classes; I adore teaching Low Fu Fitness, it’s my passion. I wake up each morning with a ray of sunshine in my heart knowing that I get to deliver great classes to you, my beautiful loyal students, who by any stretch of the imagination are the best set of human beings one can ever wish to know.

I live in the beautiful town of Reigate where the grass is green, birds are singing and the sun is always shining, just an hour away from London.

It was by chance that I ended up teaching in West London and since that day, I have had the pleasure of tutoring some of the nicest students a coach could ever wish for.

This morning I set off travelling to work to the newest of my West London Low Fu Fitness  bundle of classes at Virgin Active Chiswick Park. 

I always give an obligatory two hours minimum travelling time to West London, which is usually more time that is needed, but I do it anyway.
This morning I left my apartment at 9:30am knowing this will give me ample time for my 11:30am Low Fu Fitness class at Virgin Active Chiswick Park. Being a settled resident of Reigate for some 10 years now, I’m accustomed to all the backstreets, dirt tracks and country lanes that wind themselves in and around the large county of Surrey, where Reigate resides.

But today, truly against my better judgement, I decided to take a ‘stroll’, for one junction only, on the more direct M25 route - HUGE mistake!  I was virtually at the top of Reigate Hill by 9:37am, three minutes away from the M25 when I discovered my worst fear, a wall of traffic at the top of the hill. I didn’t fret much as I was so close to the top and the traffic was trickling along, however by 10:00am I had not moved a millimetre. Reality dawned and for that reason I sensed a wave of anxiety and a cold sweat washing over me. Even with the heater off, all the windows open and stripped down to my t-shirt (with subzero temperatures outside) I was burning up and had to get my towel to wipe myself down!

10:15am I had literally moved 20cm. I was feeling even hotter than before, to the extent where I lost control of my inner self, producing an eclectic collection of uncharacteristic emotions. 10:30am I was still there. This time sticks in my mind because I called Sarah Roe. We had a brief chat, she asked if I was going to make it, and with my overwhelming optimism I answered yes, I would still be there. The thought of letting people down was profoundly upsetting to me.

10:40am no progress, I couldn’t take it any longer. I asked myself, what advice would I give someone else in this situation? What came to my mind was: “control what you can control, anything outside that is pointless”.
I had my answer, the clarity I needed to realise that no form of bending reality was going to help me arrive to teach my beloved Low Fu Fitness class on time. in fact, anything I tried would make me miserably late and look embarrassing foolish walking in at some ridiculous hour.

I was able to safely turn round, cutting across a small stretch of grass, onto the opposite side of the road heading back to where I’d come from. The moment I did so I was able to think logically and my anxiety started to dissipate.

Once I got down the hill and was able to pull over, I made a call to David Kelly, studio manager for Virgin Active Chiswick Park, telling him the situation. He seemed disappointed but no more disappointed than I thought of myself, the best I could do was to assure him that my attendance record is exemplary and this is truly an isolated incident.

This was a bitter pill to take for a number of reasons. The class is in its infancy, every member is important to me, as is building the class to have great numbers along with a great atmosphere. When people book to attend a class they expect that class to be there, no excuses

. Cancellations are a at any time, but when a class or teacher has only been at a venue for a few weeks it’s double damaging, coupled with there being no class for two weeks due to the holiday break, that’s triple damaging!

I suspect the reason why desperation, anxiety and probably sheer anarchy set in, is due to the fact that the reputation of Noél Michael Smith, along with Low Fu Fitness, comes into question. Granted unjustifiably, but this sequence of circumstance can set a pattern of behaviour in people's minds.

I can only hope that all the students that were meant to do today’s class will arrive at 11:30am Tuesday 2nd January 2018, the first class back, to experience a truly magical class in Low Fu Fitness Kickboxing.

Blessings 

Noél Michael Smith