It is for me. Although I know for hundreds I’ve been blessed to coach, that life as an entrepreneur can be a surprise.
For some it’s the crazy hours they keep; or the challenges managing their energy; feeling pulled in multiple directions at once; or even feeling plain scared.
Surprised?
So are things just different for me? Nope. It’s just that these prices we pay being an entrepreneur aren’t a surprise for me.
I’ve always been unemployable.
Ever since I was 11, when my bestie attempted to wake me up 7am every sunday for our tomato-picking job – by repeatedly throwing stones at my bedroom window, I realised that my own schedule was the way to go.
After qualifying as an Osteopath a decade later, I managed a couple of locums whilst travelling around England, Asia and New Zealand. And that was pretty much it.
Whenever I worked for someone else, the ideas came non-stop…maybe we can do a monthly quiz with a gift; ask for client feedback; create all-inclusive programs to add more value; or provide handouts for prescribed stretches etc.
And something I still LOVE is the way the clearer the bigger picture gets (‘why I do what I do’) then the more my plan crystallises.
Keep going!
So once I opened the first of my three Integrated Health Centres and focused on adding value for our clients, I didn’t notice the long hours.
Sure. It meant hours of planning and trial + error and reinvesting into the business, although it was just the thing to do.
And then there were the missed holidays, parties and movie nights. It simply made sense in my mind and my gut to keep the number one thing the number one thing, and serve our clients. Period.
I doubted my doubts and trusted that we were on track, asked for feedback, hired a business coach and rolled my sleeves up.
Is it ‘hard work’?
Yes, if I focused on the long hours and the sweaty palms.
However – and this is true for anything in my life – when I keep my vision in front of my nose, then it’s a definite ‘no’. The prize is bigger than the price; many-fold.
Actually – maybe I have felt a teeny bit surprised. Since finally deciding to follow our global lifestyle-plan in 2003, and opting for a residual income business model, I’m now experiencing something I’d only ever read about.
Full time income for part time hours. It’s good to have my life back.
And the best bit of all, is helping others to do the same.
