By Charles Arthur Blount, CPP | Chief Pilates Promoter
I stood in a garage in Santa Monica, surrounded by Pilates equipment: a Cadillac, a reformer, and a half barrel. Speaking with her husband as I recounted the life of the late Laura Ziskin. It was like staring at a memorial to her unwavering spirit.
Laura is probably the most successful female Hollywood producer in history. Think Pretty Woman, Spider-Man, and countless others.
But what stayed with me was her discipline. The discipline she carried after being diagnosed with stage four breast cancer several years before her death.
As I stared at her equipment I thought about the mornings we trained together. Some days were good, some were not; we rolled with the punches. But she was always consistent.
Laura Ziskin created Stand Up To Cancer, one of the largest cancer research movements in history. Her efforts have raised over 800 million dollars for cancer research. Ziskin turned personal struggle into one of the most effective funding engines in modern medicine, while very ill.
Some of the great self-improvement philosophers of our time, including Jim Rohn, used to say, “You must take care of yourself, because how are you going to accomplish something if you don’t feel good?”
I remember telling this to her husband one day. He looked at me and said, “You can accomplish a lot even if you don’t feel good.”
He was talking about her.
There’s a great book written by an admiral called Make Your Bed. The lesson is simple: start your day with a small win. In the military, they teach precision, discipline, and attention to detail, beginning with something as basic as making your bed.
Laura did the same thing.
She won the morning. She showed up. Even when it was hard, especially when it was hard.
I’ve never seen anyone operate like her. She lived her final years the same way she lived her entire career, by making things happen.
And that raises a question for the rest of us.
If we are fortunate enough to not face catastrophic challenges, what is our excuse?
We are obligated to take care of ourselves. To show up for those we serve. To support our families. To become better, physically, mentally, and neurologically.
We should strive to operate at our highest level. At our optimum frequency.
Socrates said, “An unexamined life is not worth living.”
In the self-improvement world, we might say, “A body you can’t feel is a life you can’t fully experience.”
Through my work with neurological patients, I’ve seen it firsthand. When you challenge the body and listen to its feedback, there is literally more of you available to engage with the world.
There’s a place where self-awareness, art, science, and self-improvement meet.
There is a certain kind of person who expects more from life and is willing to work for it. I don’t think that is any better exemplified than in the practice of Pilates.
From the man himself so many years ago to those millions of global practitioners just discovering his teachings.
People come for a better body.
They stay because of who they become.
Better.
