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

Coaching for Success

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

Make a Decision and Take Action!

How are you progressing with the goals you set yourself... Read More

7 Destructive Habits of Incompetent People

WARNING! If you want to have a fantastic life, never... Read More

A Visualization Exercise on Managing Expectations for Adults with ADD

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

How to Get a Grip on Your Money

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

Five Steps to Vocational Passion: A Disciplined Plan for Major Mid-life Changes

There's a famous song lyric that asks: "Is that all... Read More

Masterminding Success - How to Start a Masterminding Meeting?

Masterminding is about a group of like-minded, achievement-oriented individuals who... Read More

Permission To Have FUN

? Have you been working long hours? ? Have... Read More

The $10,000,000.00 Question

When I asked my client, Amanda, what she would do... Read More

Do You Mind If Someone Screams At You?

A headhunter was on the other end of the phone.... Read More

The Power of Effective Coaching Skills

The most valuable assets of a 20th century company were... Read More

Executive Coaching ? Finding a Coach and Understanding the Process

Nobody in business can fail to have noticed the recent... Read More

Assertive Communication: 20 Helpful Tips

Most of us know that assertiveness will get you further... Read More

The Great Marketing Reframe

From grimaces to stomach knots, talking about marketing seems to... Read More

We Are Exactly Where We Choose to Be

The idea for this month's newsletter came from an unlikely... Read More

The Non-Conscious Mind at Work. Harness it for Your Success

Thoughts are real things. As soon as you realize how... Read More

Self-contentment Leads to Confidence

Being self-content means accepting and acknowledging who you are at... Read More

Sorry Dr Maslow, I Think You Got It Wrong

In the 1950s Abraham Maslow published a book entitled "... Read More

God, Grant Me Patience.....And, I Want It Now!!

Are you facing a difficult time in your life? Do... Read More

Is Coaching Everything That It Is Cracked Up To Be?

Personal or business coaching has helped thousands change their lives... Read More

Context is King!

If you've been around the Internet for more than two... Read More

Burn-Out ...Whats Next?

If you feel the heat of burn-out, it is possible... Read More

Its Game Time! Four Powerful Lessons in the Game of Life

I turned 29 last week, and if statistics are right... Read More

Learning To Recognize Your Ego

What is an ego? Well, in case you didn't know... Read More

Dare To Be Inconsistent, Lopsided, And Totally Courageous

I was talking to one of my coaching clients and... Read More