January 2018 – Productivity Success Cake

In December, those of you who were on the Lunchtime Love Group Coaching call decided to dream, plan, and Kickstart 2018. There was talk of vision boards and planning. In January, we overcame our obstacles.

Now, as we move through the first quarter of 2018 in full swing, we have our game face on. We are ready, we are headlong into the New Year, with new clients, and new opportunities! Right? If this is you, you may have wanted this “yesterday”- and are feeling a little impatient if it is not “quite happening yet.” Perhaps that impatience has led to not completely planning; kind of “winging it” and trying “lots of stuff.” Maybe you are busy listening to a lot of webinars, and reading a lot of things from “gurus” to help you succeed. Maybe.

I have lots of experience with this, and it’s not all pretty. For years, there I was, the Queen Of Productivity, doing lots of things and not getting very far. I was having fun, I was “organized enough” and I had clients. But I was totally missing the Real Boat…which is the boat to Success on My Terms. I’d love to share with you how I turned my boat around and how you can do the same, if this resonates with you. We can do a deeper dive into ensuring your success at our complimentary Lunchtime Love Group Coaching on Monday February 5, at high noon Eastern time.

What changed for me and how can it help you?

There were two main shifts for me to reach what I consider success.

First:

I focused. Before 2015, I was doing so many things. I was organizing. I was speaking. I was giving workshops. I was doing webinars. I was teaching. I was coaching. I was Evernote Consulting. I was even a contracted rental coordinator! Wow! Imagine the cash I was bringing in. Right? Wrong. I was spread too thin, and, as a single mother, I had a crazy amount of guilt around leaving my kids alone for too long, so I worked less, oh my goodness…not pretty. I felt like a failure when I looked at my bank account with bleary eyes from the exhaustion. At the end of 2015 I decided to focus on coaching. Each year since then I have watched my available free time increase, my income increase, and my sanity and peace of mind return.

Second:

I learned and implemented a system. While I did have a system(s), they were not as cohesive or comprehensive as they needed to be for my own success. I was the proverbial “shoemaker without good shoes.” I invested in a “back end office system” called the Coaches’ Console. Since I decided to focus on coaching (it was either that or get a job), I decided I’d better invest and get serious. It was hands-down the best move I have ever made. It took a while! I had to get trained in the system and un-do some stuff and re-do some stuff. That was not so easy. I had to say NO to the “fun stuff” on the weekends (the was really hard for me since I love fun) so I could say YES to being financially successful, as I learned and practiced my new system.

One of the owners of the Coaches’ Console, Melinda Cohan, has a saying that goes like this. “When preparedness meets opportunity, success is inevitable.” I might have that phrase “slightly wrong” but the intent is there. We must be ready for success (being prepared). Then, we must take the steps to be successful (noticing/harnessing the opportunity). If we skip either of those, we will not find the success we deserve, and we will start telling ourselves how undeserving we are…and…well, let’s not “go there”.

Instead, let’s discuss the steps to take, to insure your success in the new year; being prepared for your success.

Step One: Determine what “success” looks like for you. Dare to dream, then quantify it. Get specific. (For me, this was the Focus)
Step Two: Inventory. What’s working? What isn’t? What are the gaps? (For me this was also the Focus)
Step Three: Invest. Where do you need to invest? Do you need software, hardware, staff? Education? More hours available to work (if you are working less than 40 hrs. per week)? (For me, this was my Coaches’ Console back end office system)
Step Four: Identify milestones. Measure. (The nice part about my system is it helps me Measure)
Step Five: Hold yourself accountable. Join a mastermind. Hire a coach who is works in your industry and/or with your specific challenge to achieve the maximum possible results in the shortest amount of time. (I have both of these and they are super helpful! We cannot do it alone!)