by Coach Jimmy Hays Nelson
“I would love to go do that, but I don’t have enough vacation days”
Has this sentence ever crossed your lips? It’s pretty common for most people. I know it has come up in conversations with me and my wife many times in the early years of our marriage. Vacations, medical emergencies, kids events, family gatherings all at the mercy of your corporate policy manual. Frustrating right?
Last week my wife, Kelly, and I took a trip with our son, Asher to visit my in-laws in New Orleans. The purpose of the trip was two-fold. #1 – My wife’s twin sister had a baby 5 weeks ago, so we wanted to see the new lil bundle of joy. #2 – Kelly’s Dad would be in the hospital for a few days to have an operation and we wanted to be around to help. Originally the trip was just going to be a 4 day, Thursday-Sunday trip, with Kelly needing to request 2 vacation days to make it possible. Since making those initial plans, we have been blessed to have Kelly leave corporate America and work from home. So our 4 day trip was expanded to a full week.
Once we got down to New Orleans our plans got thrown a curveball. Due to a mix up at the hospital, Kelly’s Dad’s surgery got pushed a full week back. This meant we would have quality family time for the whole week, but wouldn’t be around to help around the house before/after the procedure like we initially had planned. In the past, we would have been trapped in our original plans due to jobs we weren’t passionate about, but needed to make ends meet.
Has that ever happened to you? You missed an important family event because you were a slave to corporate America’s schedule? It was the story of my life from age 18 until just a few years ago. There is nothing more frustrating than having to sacrifice time with those you care about the most to serve a faceless corporation that ultimately sees you as a replaceable cog at the end of the day. (Just ask the millions of Americans who found out the term ‘job-security’ is a huge lie!)
I don’t know about you, but it always made me furious to know my time was not ultimately not my own. I mean- that’s just what you do right? You grow up, you go to school, you get a job, you follow the rules, and hope to slowly eek your way up the corporate pay scale.
I didn’t realize I had a choice in the matter.
I definitely didn’t have pedigree that would suggest that I should start a business of any kind. I was a THREE TIME college dropout with two maxed out credit cards and no long term vision or plan. If someone would have told me to start a part time business with the few free hours I had each week, I would have told them the same thing I hear from people every day.
- I can’t afford to start a business
- I don’t have time to start a business
- I don’t know anything about starting a buiness
- I’m not a sales person, nor do I want to be!
To be honest when I got started, I didn’t have a vision of creating a huge business. I just knew I was jumping from part time job to part time job, and this could add to my ever fluctuating revenue stream.
Fast forward to last week when I posted this picture on my Facebook Page that caused quite a stir.
How is that even possible? Sounds like a cheesy Hollywood script. And no, this isn’t even a pitch for you to get involved in my business, because honestly it isn’t for everyone.
I posted that to let you know: YOU DO HAVE A CHOICE IN THE DIRECTION OF YOUR LIFE!
Three things I contribute to my success:
1. I was willing to take a step of faith to GET STARTED.
I stopped living on ‘SomeDay Isle’ and took the small, but vital step in getting started. Did it cost me an investment to start? Yes! Was I guaranteed success? No! But I knew if I wanted something different that what I currently had, then I had to do something I had never done before. So I took a step of faith and got started.
2. I was PERSISTENT.
I wasn’t looking for an easy get rich quick scheme. I knew in my weight loss journey that the ‘magic pill’ didn’t exist, so I wasn’t expecting to find it in business either. I was going to give this new venture a year, in whatever spare time I could find. (I still had my regular jobs … yes jobs plural… to deal with as well) I was going to work at making it successful, even though I didn’t have any idea what I was doing.
3. I was TEACHABLE.
After trying it on my own, and failing miserably over and over again, I could let my mounting frustration cause me to quit…OR… I could find someone who was already successful in building the kind of life I envisioned for myself and learn from them. I pray that you ditch your Ego much faster than I did, and save yourself a ton of wasted time.
Again, the thought of investing in training/coaching when I wasn’t making any money was very scary! But I took a long hard look at where I was spending my money already, and they weren’t helping me change my life. (Restaurants, Bars, Gourmet Coffee, Movies, Cable, Etc) So I made the choice to sacrifice some of my luxuries and invest in my training. It has been the true secret to my success. Why try to reinvent the wheel, when you can have an expert SHOW you how to be successful?
If the life you are currently living is not the life you had hoped for, then I challenge you to look at what you are doing now and honestly see what needs to change.
Is it starting a side business in your spare time? Making the leap to do something you are truly passionate about? I don’t know what is right for you, but the change starts with that first action step.
No matter what you are passionate about, you can take the exact same skills I have learned to apply to your new endeavor to create your ideal life!
Regardless of your background, your current situation, or what your dreams are – TAKE A STEP OF FAITH TO GIVE YOURSELF A CHANCE AT THE LIFE YOU DESERVE.
In this together- Coach Jimmy