MY TESTIMONY
After opening my business in 1985 and doing well enough to sustain a living for my family and I.
In 1990 I had to relocate my business with literally $8 in my bank account due to the fact that it was right in the middle of a drug war in Oakland California. It was then that I promised the Lord that if he gave me the wisdom, strength, patience and perseverance to become financially free in this lifetime, that I would do everything in my power to give him 100% return on his investment towards good hardworking generous God fearing people who lacked the information and opportunities necessary to experience financial freedom while living in this land of opportunity called The United States of America. Through God's grace and a 70 hour seven day a week schedule, 17 years later through God's wisdom and favor, the success of the business had grown to the degree that I had acquired 2 apartment buildings that were cash flowing along with my business operating in a cash flow positive position. Only to find my wife and I completely broke one year later After 21 years in ministry and 23 years in business, when my life savings were stolen from me with $32,000 worth of (Between my business and the apartments) operating expenses staring me in the face monthly. But God Wasn't finished with my success story. Because I had purchased an investment that I had outside of real estate That was adding to my cash flow, I was able to sell it for $0.50 on the dollar enabling me to begin again. So with that 70 hour a week grind, that I developed when I began my business, My Wife's (R.I.P) unwavering confidence and support in me, And most importantly God's grace, wisdom, and strength, we were able to retire financially free in 12 short years, by applying the strategies and philosophies in which I will teach you in my lessons and in my course.
A LIFETIME OF SERVICE
Born to Willie and Ruby Shields, Gary O. Shields Sr. the Owner of God's Gym Oakland for 40 years has come from a long line of entrepreneur, trailblazers, and community servants, all the way back to his Grandfather owning a barbershop in the early 1900.
After experiencing his father and mother sell all that they had and move into a small two bedroom apartment in the Richmond Ghettos to open a Nursing Home, because of his mothers desire to care for the elderly that she seen as a young nurse being constantly neglected, in which may I add "Is still owned and operated by Gary's older brother Willie Shields Jr." and is one of the only five star rated facilities in the state of California.
In spite of the Nursing Home business being very successful, Gary like his father and mother set to carve out his own path of community service in the Fitness Industry, and is the founder of the "30 minute personal training concept" dating back as early as 1982.
Shields has trained literally thousands of clients in his 40 years and served tens of thousands of people in the Bay Area and Abroad, through the community church that his father, mother, and himself started 34 years ago in the Bay Area, and presently pastored by his older brother William Shields Jr.
Shields has not only been serving the community all his life in one form or another, but has been involved in athletics all his life as a young baseball player in peewee leagues, amateur boxing champion, high school football player, and a champion of Five Local and Regional Body Building Championships, before he retired to run his business and raise his family in 1987. Shields also has trained 37 bodybuilding champions, including two Mr. California Champions, and four Champions that went on to turn Pro.
Shields no longer concentrates his attention on competitive body builders and physique competitors, but rather on ordinary people who want to get into extraordinary condition.
Which is boldly seen on the Mission Statement when you walk into God's Gym that states "We are committed to getting ordinary people into extraordinary condition in a loving and supportive atmosphere that will bring glory and honor to God."
To sum it all up Gary O. Shields Sr. comes from a long line of servants that authentically and genuinely CARE about their community. Now as Gary senior begins to transfer his business to Gary junior to operate full time, he has taken on a much larger mission in the last season of his life which is at the heart of the mission and coaching classes of Free Indeeds Coaching Classes.
