Meet David Hajjar | CPT

We had the good fortune of connecting with David Hajjar and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi David, how do you think about risk?
I think of risk as one of the most necessary pathways to unlock a person’s potential. Risks are filled with uncertainty that can lead someone feeling anxious, scared, overwhelmed, disoriented etc…. These overwhelming sensations created by the uncertainty of a risk can be taken as a voluntary challenge by the individual. The challenge of conquering your fear by acting out of courageousness.

I’ve come to realize that i have never regretted failure in my life because failure indicates that you actually tried to move forward with an idea. However, what i did regret are things that i have not done in my life because i will never know the outcome of those. Once i understood this, i found a great sense of freedom from fear when taking risks.

I took the biggest risk of my life so far in 2019. I was 25 years old at the time and i decided to leave Lebanon which has been my home for 20 years to move to an unknown Los Angeles where i had zero ground in order to start a new life. Fast forward that to today, all my siblings live here now, I can help my family financially if needed, I’ve so far made a great career for myself and i have made some great friends along the way. None of this would have happened to me had i not taken this risk back in 2019.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am very fortunate to experience a childhood that consisted of being outdoors all day and everyday until the adults yelled at us to come back home because it was getting too dark out. Me, my three siblings and many cousins grew up with the neighborhood kids playing catch, basketball, soccer, climbing, biking etc… These activities translated into a passion for sports. Throughout my basketball and lifting career i got injured repeatedly. The injuries kept me from moving the way i wanted to during activity and eventually to the point where it affected my life outside of activities.

I sought physical therapy. Unfortunately my experiences were unsatisfactory until i came across a physical therapist that helped me with the pain i had in both knees. I found the work i did in his clinic fascinating that i wanted to learn the methods he used to prevent injuring myself in the future. My curiosity towards human movement and performance is the start to my now career.

I lived in Lebanon my whole life, that’s where i grew up and acquired most of my life experiences. Sadly, Lebanon was and still is facing political destruction and a severe economic breakdown. My aspiration to drive a career in the wellness/fitness industry in Lebanon was impossible given the circumstances. In 2018 I began searching for a potential career in a different country and one day my younger brother mentioned that he wanted to move to Los Angeles. I thought he was nuts since neither of us knew anyone in Los Angeles. Not to mention it was a 20 hour flight away from home with a complete different culture and way of life. He was 19 years old at the time (still nuts today) and i was 24 years old (nuts as well). As problems in Lebanon increased my hope for a career evaporated. At this point the option of leaving was no longer an option, leaving our life as we knew it had to happen.

I worked relentless 70 hour weeks earning $1.3 an hour to save up money for my departure to Los Angeles. I had my backpack all ready to go. Oh yeah and a tube of Colgate which eventually the airport customs took away from me. I’m still upset about it… I set foot in Los Angeles on May 4th 2019. The living condition consisted of sharing a couch bed with someone else and 3 other people and a dog in a one bedroom apartment. Walking with my heavy backpack and taking the bus to 3 different jobs as a restaurant busser, a garbage bag where i put my dirty laundry, a puppy pissing the floor every hour, and canned beans for dinner. For a very long time this was my life in Los Angeles and honestly i didn’t mind it at all.

“No one owe’s you anything you want something in your life,work hard and respectfully to earn it”. This is a memory from one of many conversations i have had with my grandfather. The lessons he taught me made me grateful and the least bitter about the living situation i was in. I realized i had just step foot in Los Angeles, the world is big and it doesn’t owe me anything. If i wanted something i have to get off my ass and do it. I was actually extremely motivated and excited for this new life challenge in LA.

Today, i have my own bed in a bedroom. That same dog highly trained with the occasional accident on the floor (my fault for not taking him out). My best friend and brother as roommates, my own car and the beans are ordered on the side haha. Currently, I’m a Personal Trainer specializing with treating chronic pain and taking clients to their fitness goals. I work at OWH and for Kailo fitness as a sole proprietor. I work side by side with physical therapists, an acupuncturist, and great trainers. I’m blessed to be surrounded with an environment filled with passionate practitioners because it keeps a fire lit under my ass. The future is exciting with multiple ideas luminating… I won’t mention them yet, just stay on the lookout!

To conclude, the reason i wanted to share this story is not a means to provoke anyone by saying that i’m better. It’s quite the opposite. I’m an average guy standing at 5’9 but 5’10 when a girl asks. My grades were average in school, i have taken poor decisions in my life and i’ve made more mistakes than anyone i know. Remember it’s better to do something badly, than to not do it at all. There’s a road to success and a road to failure. The failure road is the highway to the successful route, The mistakes you make is the best opportunity to learn and evolve.

Before i conclude make no mistake that success is not the number in your checking account. Success is a meaningful life with family, friends, and passion. Hold yourself accountable to your mistakes and learn from them, adopt responsibility for your own life, and work hard to earn your stripes because it’s not given.

“The better ambitions have to do with the development of character and ability, rather than status and power. Status you can lose. You carry character with you wherever you go, and it allows you to prevail against adversity.” – Jordan B. Peterson

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First of all, i would have a little party for them with a gathering of family and friends to welcome them to the area. Later, I would drive to Malibu seafood and pick up their fried seafood platter to go. The platter consists of squid, shrimp, scallops and french fries. I’ll continue the drive to Zuma beach and go for a nice cold dip in the water before demolishing the seafood platter. Later, a little hike to Point Dume which is a great spot in Malibu to catch the sunset. If you’re lucky dolphins and whales will make an appearance.

For a little taste of the nightlife. I would take them to a place called “Members” which is located on Sunset boulevard. It’s a great spot for people in our age range, with amazing music and a fantastic atmosphere engage in dancing and meet people. Whether hungover the next day or not, a must try is the fried chicken sandwich on 3rd street at this place called “Son of a Gun”. So far it’s the best fried chicken sandwich i’ve ever had.

For the next few days, a trip on PCH to Big Sur for a nice camp and sight seeing experience.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I give a shoutout to my childhood friend Roy Jeha who encouraged me and supported my move to Los Angeles. I give a shoutout to Nick Crooks who’s brilliant at his craft. He’s the best physical therapist i’ve ever met, and i have met a lot in my day. Nick helped me tremendously by steering me in the right direction with education and different ways of understanding the human body. His mentorship has helped develop my craft and career as a trainer.

My uncle Tony Chedid, childhood friend Jan Pirner and my late grandfather. These 3 men are the most important role models in my life. They developed my level of dignity and integrity to where it stands today.

Last shoutout is to my mother Nada Hajjar who despite living so far from eachother, always supports me on a mental level. She also helped me buy my plane ticket to come out to Los Angeles because i was dead broke.

I have many more shoutouts and this article will be too long. For the sake of keeping it short their names are Jeff Bourjaili, my brother George Hajjar, and Elias Darwiche.

Image Credits
Photo Credits go to: Miguel Felix