A commitment plan for your home business dream.
Life Coaching Business Advice with JJ Jalopy
I love Fridays!
A lady stopped me in the street this morning and gave me chocolate. That’s when you know it’s going to be a good day!
A glass of red? It is Friday after all.
It’s nothing special but I like it. It’s South African.
Well it's the weekend!
Let’s recap a little…
The day before yesterday you made a decision that you’ll really commit to making your home business dream a reality.
Now the business idea you had is no longer a whim. It’s no longer an excuse for underperformance at your job. It’s a big bright shiny part of who you are and what your future will be.
You’re not John Smith – accountant who might be a life coach one day when he has enough money and the kids have grown up and he’s read a hundred books on the subject and the end of year accounts are finalised.
No. That sounds rubbish, doesn’t it? Don’t be that guy. He’s the one with halitosis who talks about his car and his 401K at the dinner party.
It's party time!
But that’s okay.
And it’s not you.
You’re John Smith – Life Coach Extraordinaire!
Or maybe John Smith – Super Fly Consultant Guy!
Super Fly Consultant Guy!
Whatever gets you excited. Whatever floats your boat.
And you might happen to work at an accountancy firm during the day. For now. And that’s okay. But your new business and identity will now be your focus.
So that was Step 1. You decided to go for it and then you owned the decision by making it part of your identity.
Next you took small but immediate action towards that goal. It didn’t really matter what you did. The fact that you did it and it took you closer to your dream was the important bit. You were simply gaining momentum and adding certainty to your decision.
That was Step 2.
Then yesterday we said that you’ll want to create new habits which support your new identity as Life Coach, or Consultant, or Home Business Owner.
And to build these habits we’re going to make a commitment plan so we can take regular, scheduled, consistent action in the direction of our dream.
This is Step 3 and is our focus for today.
In summary, our steps to Commitment look like this:
- Decide to commit to your new business identity
- Take immediate action
- Make a commitment plan
- Take regular committed action until you build a habit.
Easy right?
Of course it’s easy! Everything is easy when you break it down into small enough chunks.
Now about that plan…
I could tell you that creating your new business is going to be easy.
I could tell you to sit on your butt and pretend you’re already a successful life coach. I could tell you to feel really positive and really grateful that you’re a successful life coach. I could tell you that if you visualize and visualize and affirm and affirm then the clients and the money will soon fall at your feet.
But I like you too much for that.
The truth is that setting up a new business takes a lot of work.
I’m not saying that the other stuff won’t be helpful. Much of it will. But you are not going to get away from the fact that building your coaching or consultancy practice is going to be a lot of work.
And it’s also going to be a truck load of fun!
Fun fun fun!
Your trusty Mentor JJ will be by your side the whole way. 
Now to accomplish any task you need two or more of the following resources:
- time
- energy (or effort)
- money
We’re going to create a plan to allow you to bring as much of the first two, and as little of the last one to your new business as you can.
So I’m sure you did you homework from yesterday. You have an idea of the amount of time you could bring to your business venture. That’s great.
Now it’s time to get a little more specific and make a real schedule. Something like:
I’m going to work on my new business for at least two hours every weekday evening, and four hours on Sunday starting after lunch.
Or
I’m going to work from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on my new business every weekday.
You know what’s coming next, don’t you?!
(You’re far too smart for me.)
I’m going to challenge you to see if you could dedicate more time to your business.
I know. I know. You have other obligations all competing for your time and energy. You may have kids to feed, school runs, sports events, a job – the stuff you were spending your time on before you decided to start this new business!
I’m going to suggest that you try to simplify your life as much as possible to give your business the high priority in your life that it deserves.
Maybe you could:
- delegate household chores or hire a cleaner or a nanny?
- reduce your hours at your job?
- leave your job? (so long as it’s financially viable)
- get up earlier in the morning?
- let go of any other commitments that you don’t really enjoy.
There are many things you might try. See if any feel right for you.
Now, supposing you’ve managed to do that, your plan may start to look a little like this:
I’m going to work from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on my new business every weekday, except on Wednesday when I must pick the kids up from school at 4 p.m.
I’ll arrange for Jane to take the kids to and from school every day except Wednesday. I’ll ask George to pick the kids up from soccer practice on Thursday.
Super easy!
That’s a plan that you can succeed with!
Success!
Compare yourself now with the person that says…
I’m going to work hard on my business this week.
…and tell me which one is mostly likely to succeed.
Don’t you feel good now?!
We’ve achieved a lot today and it’s getting late, but I’d like to ask you to do one more thing… if you don’t mind.
I’m going to ask you to make a non-negotiable agreement with yourself to stick to that plan. You might change the timings if you really have to, or you might switch days one week, but you will work at least the number of hours in the plan because you’ve decided to. Be a little bit unreasonable with yourself!
Now you’re not going to have a boss anymore, you’re going to learn to be your own boss. Be strict with yourself, but also be nice. Give yourself lots of credit for the effort you put in.
Adhering to the plan you’ve just made will build constructive habits which will form the launch pad for your assured future success.
I think it’s really important that we build these foundations together. Soon we’ll get into the really juicy specifics of building your business. It’s going to be wild and it’ll blow you away! But before we jump into the detail we need to plan to win, right from the start.
So tomorrow I’m going to talk a little about energy. We’ll discuss how you can be as productive as possible in the time you devote to your business. We’ll also anticipate any problems or conflicts you might encounter in working your schedule and we’ll do our best to ensure your plan runs smoothly.
It’s been great chatting to you again.
It was a bit heavy today, I know, but I think this will have been valuable to you.
I’m off to bed with a nice hot mug of cocoa.
I’ll see you same time, same place tomorrow!
Goodnight!
JJ Jalopy.
Comment by Pam Schulz
4 April 2009
JJ –
Great post as always. As we are all starting – or growing – our own businesses, your step-by-step plan for success is very helpful – combined with your light-hearted approach to a very important topic.
FWIW – I took a big step yesterday and had a cleaning service come in and take that job off my plate. (wish I could do it EVERY week – but for now it’s a “special treat” as my kids would say. I feel less stressed and have time for more important things like sharing the in the joy of my older daughter as she watched the butterflies she’s been raising come out of their cocoons this afternoon. (Not great timing for me to get my work done, but then again you’ve got to stop and smell the roses every now and then…!
Take Care,
Pam
Comment by Lynn Lane
4 April 2009
JJ,
I see you and I are going to get along just fine here.
Love your flow bro.
I got to ask, how much of that wine did you have before you came up with the Super Fly Guy thing? LOL
Look for me in the morning. I think you’ll like it.
Lynn Lane
http://www.Warriorofsuccess.com
Comment by April Braswell
4 April 2009
oh WOW, I am SO with you.
CHOCOLATE AND RED WINE
A sign from God that it’s to be the START to a GREAT weekend.
One in which I predict you will be SUPER productive!
All the best,
April Braswell
Online Dating Coach, Dating Expert
Comment by Steve Chambers
4 April 2009
JJ,
Funny, a woman stopped me on the street this morning and offered me some wine…I knew it was a great day.
Love the post, love the attitude and love the use of pictures and illustrations.
Keep the advise coming.
Steve
Comment by Lisa McLellan
4 April 2009
I keep trying that whole plan out how it will work thing, and then life happens. Almost nothing is predictable when you have children. But I haven’t gotten discouraged yet. I’m still trying.
Lisa McLellan, Child Care Expert – Babysitters, Nannies, and Au-pairs
Comment by Rob Northrup
4 April 2009
Great post JJ and it all is perfect complement to the course.
Seize the Day,
Rob
Personal Asset Protection For Small Business Owners
Have You Covered Your Assets?
Comment by Mitchell Rehaume
4 April 2009
I love your posts. I’ve created a contract with myself for this course and have committed to take action. Thanks for all your motivating posts. Great Coach!
Comment by JC MacKenzie
4 April 2009
Well said as always. I think that being a member of a team such as this will go a long way to firming up that committment.
Thanks
JC jc
Comment by Duane Cunningham
4 April 2009
Mate! As they say here in Australia! (Even though Im a Kiwi…but hey the weather is way better on the Gold Coast!
Love your blog…your passion for helping people be successful is infectious!
One thing that I was told by an amazing mentor was that to be an expert it takes approx 10,000 hours of study/research and immersion. NOW how long it takes to complete those 10,000 hours is entirely up to who? YOU!! 6 months? 10 years the choice is yours!
Duane
Learn Winning Persuasion
Techniques that Work Like Magic by Tapping Into the Psychology of
the Mind with Persuasion Expert Duane Cunningham!
Comment by Mark Mallen
4 April 2009
J.J, You are a helluva writer! Very clear and easy on my a.d.d brain. Excellent advice.
Mark glaciermarketing.wordpress.com
Comment by Darryl Pace
4 April 2009
JJ,
Great post with plenty of details. Thank you for breaking the steps to success down into plain sense, easily assimilated chunks.
Health, Fitness — Darryl Pace
Comment by Dave Wood
4 April 2009
You just keep on rocking JJ!
Hard work has never sounded so sexy!
Dave W.
Comment by Sonya Lenzo
4 April 2009
Chocolate!
Red wine for Africa (Makula by any chance???)
Yes, it HAS to be a good weekend!!!
I am off to do a jewlery expo!!!!
Putting in a full weekend on my business!
SunnyMarie
Glamour and Glitz
http://www.sunnymarie.vox.com
Comment by Tim
4 April 2009
Red wine hurts my head! Ok, maybe it was the 12th liter that did it!
Good stuff. Ever do a Flow Chart?
Tim
Comment by Jennifer Battaglino
4 April 2009
Well said. You HAVE to be specific. The general statements just don’t work. I do this all the time in therapy when someone comes in who wants to change… In Parts Therapy, we do just that, come up with specific steps in the next 10, 20 days, etc. that will facilitate the change and get the ball rolling.
The generals statement keeps you stuck.
I should practice what I preach more often!
Jen Battaglino
The Harwood Center
Comment by Christian Haller
4 April 2009
Where do you get all these graphics?
We should be listening to the ideas in your posts.
Christian Haller
http://www.christianhalleronline.com
Comment by John Ho
4 April 2009
Well written and engaging, as always.
Duane – That 10K rule is awesome: If we invest 10K hours in pursuing anything, we’ll become an expert in it. if it’s trading in financial markets, make sure you obeytehFIRST principle: Survive FIRST by protecting your capital. Otherwise, at the end of the first 10 hours, you might already be long gone bankrupt.
John Ho
Understanding Personalities for Better Influence & Persuasion (WordPress)
Understanding Personalities for Better Influence & Persuasion (Vox Blog)
Comment by Bob Kaufer
4 April 2009
JJ,
You are one hellofa writer. This is fun with you here.
Bob Kaufer
If you MOVE like the Tin Man, you will THINK like the Scarecrow and FEEL like the Lion
Comment by JJ Jalopy
4 April 2009
Hey Tim!
Thanks for your comments.
Yeah – Lots of flow charts!!
One of the most important thing you can do as the owner of a small business is to map out your processes on paper. All activities in your business can be mapped out as systems that everyone can see and understand.
This is an awesome activity for streamlining your business. We’ll get there soon!
It’s also something that you can do in your personal life too. Especially with your finances. Maybe we’ll touch on that some time too.
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog, people. Your comments mean a lot.
JJ Jalopy
Life Coaching and Home Business Advice with JJ Jalopy
Comment by DIY Lawyer
4 April 2009
JJ
You are the man, wine and chocolate grabs my attention.
The DIY Lawyer
DIY Lawyer – Where you can learn to do your own estate planning