Make a Decision and Take Action!

How are you progressing with the goals you set yourself this year?

Have you made a start? Or are you still thinking about it or caught the very popular "I'm too busy" epidemic?

Mary's Story

Mary runs her own publishing company employing 5 people. She is married with two teenagers.

When I first met Mary she told me how stressed out she was trying to juggle work and home effectively.

Her business although surviving (just) could have achieved major growth except for one major factor? Mary. She was very disorganised and ran her business that way.

Mary was always complaining about the pressures of running her business and having a life. I suggested to her that by having personal coaching she would dramatically improve her situation?guaranteed, providing she actioned the ideas, insights and solutions she would gain through the process.

She's A 'Gunna'

Mary was a 'gunna'. She was 'gunna' do this and 'gunna' do that. Unfortunately all she can and still does do is talk about it. She won't make a decision. Money wasn't the issue, after all she had invested thousands of dollars attending an American guru's week long "life changing" bootcamp. She thought that would be her "magic lifechanging pill". Unfortunately Mary did not action what she had learned. She got caught up in her chaotic life immediately on her return.

It's interesting to note that many people believe that the more they spend on some of these seminars, the better the results will be.

What they forget to factor into the equation is themselves.

The Latest Crisis

I have spoken with her a few times and suggested the best course of action to take and she always responds with "not right now, I have this to do and that to do (and everything else to do)". Mary always procrastinates and says to call her back in a few weeks' time when the current major crisis should be over.

One month her database was completely wiped out. It had mistakenly been deleted by a temporary assistant she had hired. Of course there was no back up. It took many hours to reproduce it.

Mary had to hire an extra person for the next month to establish a new database. In real terms this latest crisis cost her business thousands of dollars in lost productivity, not to mention the effect it had on her stress levels.

People often only think of having a back up when something goes wrong. They don't worry about their own business and systems. As long as they are 'busy', who needs to 'waste time' on systems?

Specialist skills are required and they are not just acquired by experience. Mary needs to equip herself with some basic life skills so she can live and work effectively. She has to be able to put those skills into action!

At the rate she's going, she won't be living long enough to enjoy the years of hard work she has contributed to her business.

It's been a couple of years since we first spoke and I'd forgotten all about Mary until I bumped into one of her former employees who had stayed with her for six months. Jan told me it was extremely stressful and unrewarding working for Mary. She could never complete her work as her duties were always changing. Mary made promises to clients which she would often break and Jan, being her personal assistant was the person the clients would go to make sure the work was done on time. She was also the key person who kept the peace with the rest of the staff.

Jan had given Mary one month's notice when she handed in her resignation, so Mary had plenty of time to find a replacement.

When Jan left, Mary still hadn't found a replacement as she left it to the week before Jan exited to advertise the position. Of course she did all the recruiting herself, advertised in the local paper and had 50 replies. No doubt she wasted the next month interviewing suitable applicants.

When Is The Right Time?

When is the right time to take action? Is it at Christmas, the new year, the beginning of the financial year, when you've got nothing else to do, when your spouse leaves you, when your business is on its last legs, when the kids finally go to school, when the boss leaves or when you become so sick from the stress of your life that you cannot get out of bed?

The Final Word

Henry Ford said "The hardest work known to man is thinking". I say "the second hardest work known to man is taking action".

About The Author

Lorraine Pirihi, principal of The Office Organiser (http://www.office-organiser.com.au) is Australia's Personal Productivity Coach

Lorraine specialises in working with businesspeople showing them how to dramatically boost their productivity, reduce the stress and the mess in their lives and have more time for enjoying their life.

We Offer a Broad Range of Services and Products including: Coaching for small business owners and professionals, keynote presentations and workshops, books, CD's, DVD's and on-line learning programs.

Take action today! Contact Lorraine to discuss your specific needs at lorraine@office-organiser.com.au

---

Can You Say No?

As a manager you are constantly being asked to do... Read More

Business Career Executive Coaching Article -Motivator, Discipline and Desire

"There is a certain combination of desire and discipline in... Read More

Belief Management - The Missing Ingredient?

"Joan, I'm working so hard and I'm not getting anything... Read More

Going On a Mental Diet

Diets are always in style. Every time you turn around,... Read More

A Murder Mystery Puzzle for You to Solve

Anybody who has visited my website at Motivation & Self... Read More

Corporate Coaching - Why Coach? C(5)+ED

Is it possible to make a strong "business case for... Read More

Flying in the Slow Lane

Dogs distrust hot air balloons. I gathered this tidbit as... Read More

Just Listen, Please!

When did you last do that? When did you last... Read More

Success Coaching - What Bill Gates and You Should Have In Common

He was just a teenager, but he was already displaying... Read More

Body Language Speaks Louder Than Words

Has it ever occurred to you how much you are... Read More

7 Effective Ways To Boost Your Self Esteem

1. Get a life purpose statement.A well thought out life... Read More

How to Get a Grip on Your Money

Most people have no idea where their money goes. They... Read More

Attitude is Contagious - Would Anybody Want Yours?

Are you using the Life Potential you have been given?... Read More

Are You Worth Investing In?

Do you realise that if you're green you're growing and... Read More

COACHING: When it?s Beyond Oprah and Dr. Phil

How many more servings of the daytime self-help salad will... Read More

Top Ten Things You Would Never Hear a Coach Say (or then again?!)

When coaching, it's all about the client, be that as... Read More

Business Coaching - Ten Ways of Dealing with Mistakes You Made

You can either choose to dwell on what happened and... Read More

Mentors and Coaches: How to Be a Great Mentee or Learner

When you invest your time in being a mentee you... Read More

The Magic of Hearing

I'm working on a coach training certification, and one of... Read More

Coaching for Success

Coaching is perhaps the most effective method of increasing performance... Read More

5 Minute Morning Balance Ritual

"3 Questions, 5 Minutes a Day: Make leaps towards greater... Read More

Get Out What You Put In!

During a recent coaching session with Mark, I was briefly... Read More

What Do You Really Want ?

Being a coach is such a rewarding profession. The enormous... Read More

Why Don?t You Just Stuff It ALL?

You got busy at work, got busy in your marriage,... Read More

The Right Coach

Who is the Best Coach For Achieving Your Goals?A friend... Read More

I Give Free Consultations... So, Why Dont They Hire Me?

I show my clients a way to answer the question,... Read More

What You See is What You Get

H. Jackson Brown Jr. once wrote, Your mind can only... Read More

A Visualization Exercise on Managing Expectations for Adults with ADD

As adults with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), we often find... Read More

Do You Want to Make More Money as A Life Coach

There's a lot of coaches out there not making any... Read More

Friends?

I met my friend when we were in graduate school,... Read More

A Sure-Fire, 10-Step Formula To Get Started As A Coach Or Consultant

"My guess is first I'll need some zippy flyers and... Read More

Discover The Coach Within You

One of the three basic roles of leadership is the... Read More

Top Ten Tips for Living Authentically

1. Know your purposeAre you wandering through life with little... Read More