It was about 1 pm in the afternoon on a Monday in mid-January and I was sitting with my wife on the outside deck of a restaurant.
A heat lamp hovered over us casting warm air down towards our table.
This allowed me to wear just a heavy sweatshirt and still be comfortable despite it being winter in Boston.
We felt safe from Covid-19 because there was only one other occupied table and they were on the far side of the deck from us.
We took our time ordering because everything on the menu sounded amazing.
The appetizer was worth the trip all by itself.
Why am I describing this moment in time?
Because I had lunch with my wife sans kiddos and that moment shifted something in me.
I’ve enjoyed being self-employed, but I can’t say I’ve always been a good boss to myself.
Quite the contrary, I burned the candle at both ends throughout most of 2020 and only took two days off past April – Father’s Day and Thanksgiving.
But that’s not how 2021 is going to be and this one lunch proved that change was possible.
I am the arbiter of my own schedule.
If I want to take my wife out for a bite during the week while our sitter is already scheduled to be with our kiddos – why can’t I make that happen?
It’s not the same as taking a full month off to travel around South America with my family, but it’s a start.
That one lunch led to a new tradition where we schedule mid-week lunch dates most weeks.
We’re having fun exploring all the outdoor eateries in our area and we are amazed we can sit outside during a Boston winter while enjoying a meal.
It feels decadent after spending months and months living within the walls of our home except for the occasional trip to Costco or the grocery store.
It’s amazing how much I’ve grown to appreciate the little things.
Your Challenge For This Week
There will always be more work, don’t wait to design the life you want to lead.
What’s something small, yet significant, that you could do to reclaim your schedule?
Go to your calendar right now and save the time – go a few weeks out if you have to.
Celebrate every little and big win as you begin to carve out time to do the things you love or be with the people you love.
Try this and let me know how it goes!
Business Growth Strategist & Business Coach
As a relationship-based business growth strategist, I work directly with a limited number of self-employed professionals, aka solopreneurs.
WHO YOU ARE:
You want to have a greater impact and increased income. The problem is that there are so many options for how to build your business that you can feel stuck, overwhelmed, and like you’re running out of time.
The reason options are overwhelming is that you’re looking at them as a series of disconnected steps, when to make the most of your time, you need a strategy that connects only the most important and highest impact ones.
You know that if you try to do everything, you’ll accomplish nothing. This means, to achieve your goal, you have to invest in a strategy to put time on your side.
What’s Included:
As a relationship-based business growth strategist, I will work with you to design a year-long plan that consists of three 12-week sprints, each followed by 4 weeks of reflection/assessment, rejuvenation/vacation, and strategic planning. This will allow you to sequence your goals, create momentum, and leverage your limited time.
We can build your plan through a half-day strategy session, a coaching engagement, or a mastermind program.
These are not right for everyone; they’re personalized offerings and are priced accordingly.
What might you work on?
In my coaching work with entrepreneurs and solopreneurs, we focus on the areas where you’d like to grow, which may include:
- Creating a strong sales conversation framework
- Building your referral network
- Lead generation through a relationships
- Growing your visibility in your industry
- Increasing your ability to attract the right kind of clients
- Identifying and launching a minimally viable offer
- Breaking through whatever bottleneck is holding you back from getting the results you want and deserve
- Becoming a published author and marketing your book successfully
- Improving your virtual presentation skills
Learn more about the different ways we can work together – deep dive 3-hour session, private 1:1 coaching, and masterminds. I’m excited to support you in reaching or exceeding your goals.
Stay Connected:
- Connect with me on LinkedIn to see the content I share.
- New to my website? Start here
- Listen to my On the Schmooze podcast – weekly since July 2016.
