Many of us have now become so busy in our professional lives that we have forgotten to give time to ourselves. This has led us to not spending enough time with our friends and families.
Giving up the career of being a corporate lawyer, Sohrab Khushrushahi shares with PEAKLIFE his experiences as a coach and an entrepreneur and how he manages to do it all.
How has your journey been from a corporate lawyer to a fitness trainer?
I’d like to look at myself as a coach and an entrepreneur rather than just a trainer. Ever since I was a teenager, fitness and sport have always been a passion of mine. I’m surprised it took me so long to realise I needed to make the switch but it’s safe to say I haven’t looked back even once in the last 3 years (that’s a good sign I’m sure).
You learn something new about yourself and your business everyday and that keeps you on your toes. Actually, it doesn’t feel like work anymore, despite the stress that comes with the job, and to me that itself is huge. Legal and man-management skills learned throughout my legal life have helped a lot as well.
Why did you choose the name SOHFIT?
I wish I could give you a really cool and thoughtful answer. It’s absolutely random, I was sitting with my wife Daneesh Davar Co-Founder and, this was after our child was born, she wanted to get into shape – so she looks at me and says from tomorrow I’m going to work really hard and get ‘so fit’ in the coming year.
That’s when she goes ‘oh my god, if you ever start your passion project we should call it ‘SOHFIT’ (so fit with an ‘h’) and that’s how the name came about. Can’t argue with her marketing brain, after all she’s spent her work life being a marketing professional.
What/who motivated you to make such a transition and was it worth the change?
Fitness and sport has been a passion of mine since I was a teenager. I always thought I’d play cricket for the country when I was a kid. Fitness was something I worked on to get better at my sport and slowly I got obsessed with it. I thought about starting my own fitness venture about 8-10 years back and for some reason, I just didn’t have the courage to do it.
I thought being a lawyer and taking home a huge pay check was the right thing to do, till my wife Daneesh Davar Co-Founder convinced me I needed to go after something I really loved because she saw how unhappy I was despite being a successful lawyer working at some of the biggest law firms in the country.
I met some really smart people during the decision making process and we went back and forth for the longest time.
Most of the time it was them trying to make sure I was making the switch for the right reasons. From a motivation standpoint, I would give a lot of credit to my wife Daneesh Davar Co-Founder, Ajay Piramal, Delna Avari, Shiamak Davar and Karan Johar, all super successful in their own right and constant sources of inspiration for me. They’ve always been there to listen to me, give me ideas and discuss every little doubt or question I had or still have for that matter.
As a personal trainer, what keeps you motivated to stay the course?
I’m not much of a motivation kind of a guy. To be honest, I think ‘motivation’ is a massively abused word. It’s also a standard excuse people have – ‘I’m not motivated to train today’. Well you’re not motivated to go to work every single day are you? You’re not motivated to get the house work done everyday either. You still get it done.
The same thing with fitness, there will be days you aren’t motivated but I think what matters is discipline, dedication and consistency. That’s all I really care about. Set a routine in place and get the work done. There will be days when you just go through the motions and, you know what, that’s fine. Stick to being disciplined long enough, you will see results and then the motivation will come back on its own.
How do you overcome moments of self-doubt?
We all have our moments of self doubt. I’ve had my fair share as well but I also have the right people talking to me all the time. Growing up in a hard working Parsi family, my parents always taught me to back myself.
My wife Daneesh Davar Co-Founder has and will always be my sounding board and also my biggest critic, she puts me in place all the time when I go off course. As long as I’m coming from a good place and putting in my best effort, things will eventually work out. I’ve always believed in that and it helps when you go through the tough moments in life.
What has been the most challenging part of your journey?
Every day is a challenge and that’s the best part about this journey so far. If you ask me, convincing people to trust a process and make a lifestyle change has been the most challenging part.
We live in an instant world and all people want is instant results. To convince them it takes time and they need to work on it constantly for the rest of their life is very challenging. All everyone really wants is a quick fix but when it comes down to fitness, you’re always a work in progress.
What was your optimum goal when you started on this journey?
To start living and having fun again. I’ve always enjoyed helping people get better and that will always continue. I have individual and team goals, as far as SOHFIT is concerned and, to be honest, the ultimate goal, individual or team, has always been to be associated with quality. We want to make fitness cool again and we want to make it something people ‘want’ to do rather than ‘have’ to do.
What more can we expect from you and SOHFIT?
To keep improving, learning and coming out with fun concepts and programs. Our goal has always been to reach out to as many people as possible and we will continue working on that.
What advice do you have for others who are just starting out or want to quit?
The same thing I was told, there will be rough days – days when things don’t go your way and you doubt yourself, but keep plugging away and moving forward. Don’t focus on money or selling your company to the highest bidder (investor), focus on delivering quality and just work from the heart (whilst using your head) – always giving your best. And enjoy yourself, life’s too short.
