Do More in Less Time – And Have More Time for Yourself
Getting things done brings such a great feeling of accomplishment, but it can also be overwhelming if the task seems insurmountable. Sometimes, the days just don’t seem long enough to do everything we want to do. When that happens, worry can set in, but it doesn’t have to!
You can do more than you ever thought was possible, and in less time too, giving yourself time to relax and really enjoy life!
It all begins with a solid foundation of time management and scheduling. It’s okay if you’re not a good time manager right now, you can learn to be. It just takes a little bit of practice and you’ll soon be getting more and more done.
When you see how much you’re accomplishing, you’ll work even harder during your busy times, and enjoy those down times more thoroughly.
These scheduling strategies will help you become an expert manager of your time:
1. Schedule your life for maximum benefit. You can avoid procrastination and the big stressed-out rush to meet a deadline by scheduling each day and using just a bit of self-discipline to stick to your schedule.
It helps to break things down into smaller tasks. For example, do you have a big presentation coming up at work in two weeks? Don’t try to do it the night before it’s due. Start now. Working for just a half hour each day can help you get that presentation done with plenty of time to spare.
By scheduling your day according to your priorities, you can better utilize the time that you might otherwise have wasted doing unproductive things, like watching television or waiting for the next item on your to-do list to come to you.
2. Disallow doubts from getting in your way. That little voice in the back of your mind that tells you, “It’s too much work,” or “It’s not going to happen,” doesn’t know what it’s talking about!
You can do anything you set your mind to. Keep that thought in mind as you go through your day. The more you think it – or even say it out loud – the more you’ll internalize and believe it.
When you remind yourself how much you’re capable of doing, you’ll work harder so you can reap the rewards of being done with work.
No matter how you reward yourself, make it a point to do so regularly. Finished that presentation? Take the evening off and watch your favorite movie! Whatever reward works for you is a good one – as long as the work’s done first.
3. Recognize when you’re getting stressed and why. Sometimes, in an effort to get more done, you’ll find that you aren’t getting the time for yourself that you’d hoped for. When this happens, stop and reassess your schedule.
Are you following your agenda? Are you productive during your scheduled working times? Are you meeting your goals? Where can you make changes for better success?
Do you concentrate and get your work done during your working hours? If not, you may find that you still have to work when you should be relaxing. This is a vicious circle that leaves you feeling stressed, while getting nowhere.
4. Eliminate your stressors while building in stress relief. Think about the following as you go about your workday:
By focusing during working hours, you’ll complete each task much sooner. Get your drudgery tasks out of the way as quickly as possible to make more time for more enjoyable tasks.
Work time is for work only – so avoid distractions. Ringing phones and other issues can stop you from accomplishing your work. Forward calls to your voice mail and establish “do not disturb” times. You’ll be amazed at how much work you can get done without distractions!
If you complete your tasks early, keep working until your schedule says it’s time to stop. Perhaps you can tackle some work for the next day to get ahead. Being a little ahead gives you the flexibility to take care of inevitable emergencies without falling behind in productivity.
Recognize when you need a break. People are not machines so your schedule should reflect that. Realistic break times should be part of even the busiest schedule.
By planning your time wisely, you’ll accomplish more and be able to reap the many benefits of true relaxation when you’re done. It’s well worth the effort!
Most of us attack the week one day at a time. We get to the office on Monday, track down a cup of coffee, and then try to figure out what all is going on.
Consider how things could work out better if you have a weekly plan for your life before you wake up on Monday morning. And don’t just plan your work-related items, plan everything else too. Figure out what needs to be done and prioritize those items.
For your best results, avoid living life as it unfolds. By taking control, you’ll increase your confidence, stay ahead of your work, and actually find more free time to do whatever you like. Give it a try for a month and see if you enjoy the benefits.
Follow these steps to create a plan for the week:
Have a weekly planning session. Sunday is the logical choice. You’ve decompressed from the previous week, but it’s still fresh in your mind. The workweek starts in just one day.
Make a list of tasks for each area of your life. The areas might include work, personal items, and family. Your items will vary with your unique life.
An example: WORK
– complete marketing project with George
– interview applicants for marketing supervisor position
– contact packaging vendor to discuss printing issues
– find contractor to repair floor on production area
Assign priorities to all of the tasks.Assume that you can’t get it all done. Which items must be done and which can slide until the following week?
Assign one of three levels of priority to each task. You might use 1, 2, 3, or A, B, C, or Red, Yellow, Green.
Start with your number 1 priorities and complete all of them before moving on to the number 2 and 3 priorities.
Schedule these tasks into your calendar. Begin this process no later than Sunday evening. You should know how you’re going to spend your Monday morning. Don’t wait until your alarm clock wakes you up.
Avoid over-scheduling. Once you fall behind, it becomes impossible to catch up. Leave room for the inevitable emergencies and requests from the boss. Schedule 50% of your time and leave the rest available.
Using a planner will allow you to move all these obligations out of your head. Put them down on paper as soon as possible.
Get busy as soon as you can on Monday morning. If you can work ahead, great! Keep your plans fluid. What you’ve put in your planner is your best guess, but you have to start somewhere. Things will change as the week progresses.
Review each evening. Spend just a few minutes each night making necessary adjustments. As tasks are completed, you’ll have the flexibility to move things around. Perfect your new plan of attack each night. Make this a habit. You can do it before leaving the office or do it in the comfort of your living room. Just ensure it gets done.
Have a weekly review. What did you do well? What could have been better? How well did your weekly plan work? What improvements can you make to the process? Reviewing your week and making adjustments is one of the most powerful ways to improve. Address your mistakes and recognize your successes.
By planning and prioritizing, you can hit the ground running. You’re also assured of getting the most important things accomplished. Start next week by making a plan and following it religiously. Your life will change for the better.
It could be argued that the only real reason for living is to see how much you can learn about yourself. Asking effective questions can help to facilitate your development as a human being. A good question is one that provides a useful answer. Poor questions create limitations.
Ask yourself these questions to enhance your development:
What is the most important skill I’m lacking? Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Our weaknesses are often responsible for limiting our personal growth and success. There are advantages to being well-rounded.
You might be great with spreadsheets, but poor at meeting new people. Some of us are very persuasive while others have great creativity.
What do you feel you’re lacking in your life? Which skill can most help you fill that void?
How do I get in my own way? Do you ever sabotage your own efforts? It’s possible to fear success. After all, gaining something often means giving up something else. It’s not easy to examine this part of ourselves, but the benefit is immense.
If I could go back in time, what advice would I give my 18-year old self? Hindsight is 20/20, but the mistakes you’ve made in the past are probably still occurring. Think about the choices you think you should’ve made as an 18-year old. They will provide insight into your current situation.
What are my greatest strengths? Make a list of your greatest strengths. How can you apply them to your life? Our weaknesses might hold us back, but our strengths can determine how high we can rise. Weaknesses are like a boat anchor while strengths are like the motor.
Ask your friends and family for their opinions, too.
What am I able to control in my life? Worrying about things that are outside of your control is a waste of time. Focus on the aspects you’re able to influence. Apply your thoughts, time, and effort accordingly.
What do I want to stand for? How do you want to be thought of at the end of your life? Are you currently living in a manner that supports that vision?
Think about who you want to be, which could be quite different than what you want to be.
If I could accomplish one great thing in my life, what would it be? You probably have several options for your life, and it’s not always easy to choose.
This was the first Get Me Goings Medical Massage Center. One little room! Notice the 12 likes on the photo.
I remember three years ago when I first opened up Get Me Goings Medical Massage Center I was a one person company. I used the word “center” in my business name because I knew one day it would be in fact a center, place for people to come to for good quality bodywork. I remember one day taking to social media (Instagram) and showing the world my hustle. I documented I believe 16 appointments in one day! And I let the world know that there wasn’t another therapist out there that hustled more than I did. I was unstoppable. I then would document me traveling to San Diego and working on people, flying back to Sacramento in the same day to work on a full schedule of people the next day. Showing my hustle. Me on a plane at 4:30am only to get on another plane at 11:30pm to come home. Hustle.
One of the many flights to San Diego to work on people.
That was my routine for over a year. It was a grind. It got me to where I am at now. I put a lot of work into my craft and my business. Today, I have two offices with plans of opening a third one soon in downtown Sacramento. I have 4 employees and my business is thriving. We grew in revenue 33% during a pandemic in 2020. We are quickly being recognized as the place to go to get bodywork done. Since I have opened my company I have been able to purchase a home, bought myself a car that I wanted and not one that I had to settle for, bought my dream motorcycle and have been able to provide so much for my kids and family. Life sounds great right? Then why do I have feeling of sadness? Why does my soul ache?
Many people would love to have the life that I am having now. In fact, I wanted the life that I have right now. My dream was to open up Get Me Goings Centers through out California and perhaps franchise them out across the nation. But something inside of me is feeling mixed emotions. It’s as if my soul is crying, crying for help.
Perhaps my ideas of what life is about are changing. I have always felt it was important to give my daughters the life I never had and to provide them with things that my parents weren’t able to give to me. But perhaps, these are items that do not require money to purchase. Perhaps I can give them a life of knowledge and experiences.
I’m slowly starting to open my eyes and see the true meaning of this life, this life that we only get once. To me, it doesn’t make sense to get up and go to work for ten to 12 or even 14 hours a day, just to come home to sleep, and get up and do it over again the next day. This is what I have been doing. And I’m talking six days a week for the past four years. I’m exhausted. I don’t think this is what life is about.
Instagram has become a great tool for my business and at the same time a detrimental life sucking, ego boosting, piece of shit of a site. Think about it. People go on there and post pictures of what??? Look at me in my car, or look at me and my house, or look at me at this expensive restaurant, or look at my kids being so cute and look at me and look at me and look at me!!!!!! It’s exhausting! Why do we need to spend so much time looking at other people’s lives and envy what they have? Why are we not content of enjoying a moment in time without having to post about it? Why this sudden shift into a world of popularity and keeping up with the Jones’s? Why?
And so this got me thinking. I see people that post on Instagram saying they have their “why” meaning why they do what they do. Why they grind so hard and it always ends up being their kids. I know. I was one of those fuckers. But if they were to be completely honest with themselves it isn’t at all for their kids, it’s for themselves and their egos. They love the respect and admiration they receive when they post on Instagram about the new car they bought for the family or the new house or the new big thing they got for their kids. They do this for them…. cut the bullshit and be honest. You are doing it for yourself and your image. Because I promise you, your kid would rather you be home with them instead of you being gone all of the time in other cities and out late at parties cause you have an image to uphold. Your “why” should be your time with your children. Time should be your “why”. The one commodity that you can not repurchase. Once it is spent there is no more left.
My eyes are opening. I’m not going to fall victim to this rat race any longer. I will find a way to simplify my life and spend more time enjoying my kids and this planet we live in. There are so many things this life and this planet has to offer. There are so many opportunities to create long lasting memories in this world, but we choose not to see that. Our focus is on money and what can it get me. When I lay on my death bed, I don’t want to remember work, I want to remember spending time with my loved ones, primarily my daughters. It’s time to slow down. It’s time to make life easier and more enjoyable. I don’t need to work so hard. And I need time to recharge my batteries. I plan on taking two weeks off each quarter and use them to take trips with my kids. To show them the world and to give them a different life than I had. Not one with materialistic things but one of memorable value.
I am seeing a trend that is alarming to me. A belief that we as humans should be equal. Now, before you get upset at me, I am not discussing human rights. Of course I believe all humans are entitled to the basic human rights, such as the right to equality, the freedom from discrimination, the right to life, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness. I stand by these rights. But here is what I am seeing amoungst the younger crowds ages 20-30. They are getting things mixed up. They believe that everything has to be fair. If he has a nice house then this person should have a nice house. If this person makes more money then that person should make more money.
I recently was watching footage of a protest in front of a coffee shop where the employees were protesting the firing of an employee. That is a separate issue and I don’t have enough information to speak about the protest, but what I did hear from a conversation that one of the young protestors was having with another protestor, was something that grew my attention into this subject of life being fair. One protester was upset that the owner of the coffee shop had just financed a new Tesla and she felt it wasn’t fair that the owner had made that transaction and she couldn’t afford a new Honda. She literally felt entitled to more money and a raise because the owner was doing well in her life and this young adult who was protesting against her boss, was only making minimum wage.
You have choices in your life that are going to give you consequences. They will either be good conveniences or bad ones, but either way a consequence is the result of a choice made. I say that because so many people want to look at others that are doing well and become envious of them. People start to believe that the ones that make a lot of money should help out the others that do not. Taxing the rich is a great example of this! Why should people that sacrificed their weekends, worked long hours, gave up a social life to get to where they are at, give up half if not more to taxes to help fund all of these welfare programs? Why does that seem right? Why is it ok for Johnny to go to college, go to graduate school, become a doctor, and make a good life for himself just so he can give up half of his income to help Tommy who dropped out of high school, got on welfare, gets money, cell phone, medical care, housing, and food stamps from the government? Why is hard work being penalized and no work being rewarded? It isn’t right!
This is happening because people want everything to be fair! Life isn’t meant to be fair. Life is suppose to be hard. It’s suppose to suck! It’s designed this way to challenge you and for you to create your own beautiful life, your own paradise. Every single one of us has a different idea of what they want from life and so every path is different and every challenge is different. Nothing is the same. Nothing is fair. It makes life a heck of a lot mor interesting that way. Can you imagine what life would be like if we all had the same thing handed to us from day one?, fucking boring!!!
I love poker! I love the thrill of bluffing someone out of the pot then on another hand them thinking I’m bluffing only to win by having the best hand. Life is like poker. Imagine playing poker and everyone playing was dealt the same fucking cards. What would happen? Nothing! Absolutely nothing. We would all be sitting there bored and confused. The game would suck. So just as in poker, we were all dealt a different hand. Some people were given a better hand than others, but that doesn’t mean you are going to lose. You have to play your fucking cards! Play your hand! Maybe you out play the guy with the best hand because you showed confidence and put off the vibe of having the best hand. You bluffed him! In life you need that same confidence, that same vibe that you are going to win no matter what you are holding in your hand. You have to bet heavy on yourself. You have to just playing your fucking hand!
We each need to be challenged to continue to grow. We can not become stagnant. In a fair world, nobody would excel. Nobody would challenge one another. Nobody would be different. It would be pretty ducking boring. So stop wanting things to be fair. Accept your hand, and accept your challenges. You will become a strong individual later on in life. And that growth is what life is truly all about.
Many people in this current state of life are experiencing struggles, some struggling more than they have ever had to just to survive. Some people are close to giving up. I want to spend this time trying to encourage you to take a deep breath and embrace your struggle. Embrace the pain you are in right now. It is at these tough times where we as humans beings can take this struggle and embrace it to allow ourselves to become stronger individuals.
Part of life is to experience tough times, to experience life’s challenges. It is what makes our lives complete. Imagine a world where you never have challenges or struggles, that everything is presented for you in the easiest form. Kinda boring. Not only does that sound too easy and dull, you will never have an opportunity to grow. You will remain stagnant and weak. You would not use your mind, your past experiences, and your talents to help you get out of your struggle.
I want you to LOVE your struggle. I want you to love your struggle as much as you love the reward that comes from it. I want you to grow from this and become stronger, more resourceful, and more resilient! Take this opportunity to grow! Perhaps learn a new trade, do some soul searching and figure out what in life makes you happy and how to obtain that happiness. Reprogram yourself. Give yourself a fresh start! The time is now to do so.! Better yourself. Encourage yourself! Love your struggle!
So many people want to get to the top, get to the peak of the mountain, but they hate climbing. People want the success, but don’t want the struggle. See that’s the problem… People want to grow but don’t want the growing pains.
Push forward today and in a year look back at this time and remember what a bad ass you were to get through this struggle. And at that point, you will have learned to love your struggle!
It is so easy to preach about positivity when things are going great in your life. It’s easy to encourage others to stay focused and positive when your life is going well. But what happens when life suddenly takes a turn on you and you find yourself back into the darkness? Well, I have just experienced that scenario. And though I wouldn’t say I am in complete darkness, I would say, I am in a room with a candle burning, like a small birthday candle.
I am an open book. I do this so that I can help others push forward and encourage others to find the greatness within. I do this because I want people to understand that I too am human just like you and I too make mistakes. As you may recall from very first post, I made a very poor decision many years back ( please read my first post for details) that lead me to serve two years in a Federal Prison and added to the sentence was a restitution fine of $2.7 million dollars.
On September 2019, I was finally released from Federal Probation. Another step into getting my life back. I was quickly contacted by the U.S. government demanding that I pay $500 a month towards my restitution. I told them that $500 a month is a lot and that I don’t think I can handle that sort of payment at this moment. They didn’t budge at all and so I told them that I didn’t want any trouble and I would make that effort.
I made my payment to them in September and October. November was a slower month for myself and my business but I still sent them $400. December I had shoulder surgery and had only worked for a week and a half that month so I was unable to send them money. January I was still recovering from surgery and was not able to return to work but I still sent them some money. On February 6th, I sent them $150 to show them I was still trying. And that was the day that landed me into my current situation.
Later that day, February 6th, I went to go get gas after work and my ATM card was declined. I knew there was money in the account so this had me very nervous. I went to my online bank app to see what was going on, and when I discovered what had happened, my heart stopped and my stomach dropped! I was negative $75 for a garnishment fee then above that, I saw a large deduction form my account from The U.S. Government. They had took every dime from my account. And they didn’t stop at that one, they took my CD accounts, and Savings account. I was left with nothing.
I quickly felt a huge rush of anxiety come over me. Questions started to fill my brain. How am I going to pay my mortgage? How am I going to cover payroll? How am I going to get through this? I began to cry and I quickly became lost and scared. How could they do this to me? How am I to get ahead in my life if they don’t give me a chance? These were my thoughts. I had lost hope and wanted to give up.
I soon realized that my thoughts were getting the best of me. I had to remind myself that I have been here before and I can get myself out of this. I quickly came up with a plan that would help me get out of the situation. It wasn’t going to be easy but I realized that I didn’t come this far to give up.
Every morning I got up early. I began to meditate to calm my mind. This is something new to me so I found a great meditation app (Calm) and began to learn the art of meditation. I also wrote down the things I needed to get done for the day. I then made sure I exercised for at least 30 minutes. I did these things to keep me healthy enough to go to battle to overcome this obstacle that life out in front of me. These things that I implement into my mornings were key. They were powerful forces of energy that allowed me to remain positive and to continue my positive self talk.
I opened up more hours for my practice. I worked from 8 am til 9pm and then I humbly made a decision to drive for Uber on the weekends. That’s right! I am never too good to take a second job in order for me to stay ahead. It’s that humility that I had that allowed me to see that I am not better than anyone. I am human. I am in a position where I need to make money and if I need to take on a second job then so be it. And to top it off, I hated driving for Uber. Dealing with drunk people on weeknights was a very difficult task, but I did not let that stop me. I was determined to get myself out of this jam. I kept telling myself the very same things I preach to others. “This is not permanent, this isn’t the end of your story.”
By remaining positive every day and busting my ass, I was able to get through this difficult time. One month has gone by and that small birthday candle in the dark room is starting to burn brighter. I am not out of this yet, but I know what I am capable of and I know I will get through this. I am taking the lessons that were presented to me and moving forward with my new knowledge and experience. Life can change drastically at any time without warning. There is not one person on this planet that is immune to such sudden changes. It is important to understand this and to be prepared mentally for such changes. I enjoy my early mornings now and I have discovered meditation because of this situation. I am learning to really understand my life’s purpose now. I am learning to understand the value of life and it’s simplicity. These are things I had known before but I believe I needed this reminder and so I am thankful for the situation and the lesson it taught me. I am at a greater peace within myself than I have ever been before.
As I was working so hard to maintain everything that I earned, I was becoming so exhausted. I began to see how someone can easily get sucked into the rat race. I can see how easily it became to want to have the nice things and the nice house and everything else that shows a measure of success. But the more I worked and trying to hold on to these items, the more I realized it wasn’t worth it. And suddenly my eyes became opened.
When I had all of my money taken away from me, I was able through the process to understand that the money is not what my life is about. As shown to me, it can easily be taken from me but my heart must still beat. My lungs still need air. My heart, still needs my family. And these are the things that I still have with me after money. These are the truest forms of life’s treasures. Money can be replaced in time but my health, and my family can not. I spent so much time trying to chase the dollar, trying to project an image of success, that I was quickly reassured that my success wasn’t my house, or my car, or my motorcycle, but my success was much simpler. My success is inner peace. Peace from within is very powerful. When I understand that life isn’t about having the biggest house or the nicest car or tons of money, I see the exhaustion that comes from chasing those items. And to me, that no longer sounds appealing. Simplicity, takes less effort and has the bigger rewards. To me that is what living life is about. And so this was the lesson I believe to take away from this experience.
Currently, I am working with the government for a solution to this matter and hoping to get a more manageable monthly payment. I am meditating daily in the mornings and have a great morning routine. I have a lot of positive self talk with myself through out the day. I am also in the understanding that we do need money to live and use it for our basic needs. But now I understand that anything else isn’t worth it to me. I’d rather use my extra time and money on living life, spending it with my family and not being so exhausted keeping up with Joneses, but being perfectly content being a Goings.
If you are in need of some help or guidance and need me in your corner to help you through your situations, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I’d be happy to help.
The picture above still brings tears to my eyes a week after the sudden loss of 9 human beings, one of them being Kobe Bryant. I was not a Laker fan, in fact this man assisted in shutting down my beloved Sacramento Kings more times than I care to count. But this isn’t the point of this entry. This entry is about something greater.
This week has been very emotional for me and I have been trying to figure out why I just break down in tears when I’m alone, or why I have been holding back tears for almost a week every single day. I had no ties to the souls. I did have the honor to meet this young man his rookie year on several occasions. In fact, I brought him two rookie cards for him to autograph for my younger cousin, and he told me he would only sign one of them. I asked him why and he said, “because when I am a hall of fame basketball player after I retire, the unsigned card will be worth more because it is in mint condition with no damage. My autograph would damage the card.” I didn’t understand what he was telling me but he was right. The man was smart. He was kind. He treated his mom to brunch every Sunday. He flew his high school basketball coaches for Philadelphia to Los Angeles just to watch him play. He was respectful and treated me as a human and did not act better than me. Just an all around great young man.
But again, that isn’t what this post is about. This post is about something bigger. Why have I been an emotional wreck? The picture attached to this entry has been in every news outlet….Every. Single. Day. And it is this photo that breaks me. You can see pure happiness coming from both dad and daughter. Just a pure, loving, father-daughter bond. A bond that only other fathers with daughters would understand. This photo saddens me because this bond has left our planet. A bond so strong, so pure and so loving is gone. And it begins to start a thought process in my head, that he had three other daughters that have also lost that bond, that connection, and that is when I begin to weep. I weep for those three young ladies. I weep for the wife that has to dig deep and be strong for those three ladies and is not allowed to be weak unless she is by herself. I weep for the other bonds that were on that aircraft and the families that are connected to those bonds. Then I begin to weep uncontrollably, because I have two daughters, and I would not know what I would do if I ever lost one of them. I weep thinking if something ever happened to me, the loss my girls would feel and the pain they would have to endure.
I am wondering if I have been the only dad that has been feeling these emotions. It has been very hard this week. I can’t sit down and watch tv without seeing something about this tragic event and I either have to change the channel, get up and walk away, or sit there and push down my emotions. Has this been a difficult week for other dads with daughters? Have you made your daughters a bigger priority this week than you have ever before? Have you held them tighter, longer, or closer? I have. And as of now that has been the only good I have taken from this sad event.
I share custody with my ex, and we share one week on, one week off with our girls. This week my girls have been with their mom. And I just want them so badly to be with me. As a result, I have been FaceTiming them every morning and every night. Something that I have never done prior and now it is something that I look forward to doing. My eyes are wide open! Every week I don’t have with my girls are moments of time I will never be able to cash in. They are lost. So it is important for me to make every moment count, even if I can’t physically be with them. My daughters are my everything. They are my world and everything I do is for them.
I have also noticed that as a result of this event, the world mourned together. Black, brown, white, Asian, it didn’t matter the race or sexual preference or religious background, we all came together as one to mourn a human being that has touched so many people. It’s amazing how one person, had a dream, worked his butt off to achieve that dream, and in the process touched so many lives. That is what life is all about! If you are not spending time helping others than you are wasting your life away.
When I think about these two take aways that I have gained from this sad, sad event, I feel grateful. Grateful that I still am able to spend time with my daughters. Grateful that I see a glimpse of hope for humanity. If one man did this, imagine if we all strive for the same outcome. I become hopeful.
And to the Bryant family. If they ever get a chance to read this, I just want you to know that my heart hurts for you. My tears are for you and your loss. My prayers are for everyone in that helicopter. I pray that God gives you the strength to get through a time of your life that many people would crumble from. To the young Bryant girls, thank you for sharing your dad with the world. Thank you for your sacrifices. I know your dad and the Heavenly Father will bless you and will allow you to live on in your dads memory.
RIP Kobe Bryant. Thank you for your impact on this world. Thank you for being human and showing kindness to many. Thank you for the memories you have provided to so many people. You will be deeply missed.
Hug your loved ones. Tell them you love them everyday. Avoid the bullshit arguments and mend any torn relationships that are meaningful. Today may be your day you leave the planet. If it is, be sure you leave an impression on peoples souls.
First off, if this question or statement holds true to you, then congratu-fucking-lations!!! You have the balls to be true to yourself and not pay attention to the “others” The “others” are people who are afraid to take risk; Afraid to make decisions; Afraid to take a chance on themselves for fear of becoming a failure in the eyes of people that are close to them. They are the nay sayers and the large percentage of people who think practical.
But not you! You believe in yourself! You don’t give a shit what “others” will think of you. You understand what it is going to take to be successful in your business. Or do you?
As I am typing this entry, I am sitting on a plane back from San Diego to Sacramento. It is 10:32pm. I could take a nap and rest my eyes, especially since just this morning, I was on a plane heading to San Diego at 5:30am, but taking a nap isn’t going to get me to my goals, my dream, my vision. You see, I have an enormous vision that one day, I will have a Get Me Goings Medical/ Sports Massage Center in every major city in California. I’m talking one in Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego, and a couple in the Bay Area! And I will have achieved this by the time I am 65. I also have a vision of me becoming a successful coach and helping others achieve their goals and dreams and helping them along the way to their reality. But I can’t get there by taking naps. Am I tired? Abso-fucking-lutely!!! I’ve been up since 3:30am! But again, me sleeping right now is not going to produce the results I am trying to achieve. It’s not making the most of the 1440 minutes I was given by God to create a better life for myself and my family.
Instead, I am writing this blog pouring out my thoughts on to the internet in hopes of inspiring just one person to take the same leap I did two years ago. But you see an Entrepreneur isn’t made, they are born. If you as a kid loved the idea of working and producing money and you found ways to do so then chances are you are an entrepreneur. If you mowed lawns, or made a lemonade stand for money and wasn’t satisfied with the money you made so you did it again and again and til you made some dough then you are an entrepreneur!
I remember as a kid, I use to go door to door asking the neighborhood if they wanted their lawns mowed. But you see, I didn’t just want to mow their lawns once, I wanted to mow their lawns all the time so at the age of 10, I set up accounts for these neighbors and offered a low monthly fee to mow their lawns once a week. I worked on Saturdays and Sundays mowing lawns for like $20 a month!! I would go collect money on their due dates and would make like $200 a month. At 10 years old, $200 a month was an awful lot of money. I was in fact a millionaire, well in my mind I was.
When I was 13, I had a paper route and I treated that as if it was my own business. I kept index cards on every customer and I made notes on these cards to learn about them and things I could do to make their experience better. 13!!
So you see, an Entrepreneur isn’t made, taught or developed. We are born into it. If the thought of you working for someone else absolutely makes you physically sick and you dread going to work cause you can’t stand making other people money based on your efforts than you are probably an entrepreneur. If you work a full time job supporting yourself and dab at a business idea with no intentions of leaving your job than you are not an entrepreneur. You just have a hobby that makes you a little bit of coin. And there isn’t anything g wrong with that. Just don’t call yourself an entrepreneur.
Now here’s where shit gets crazy. When you have decided to jump out there and chase your dream of running a company, you are going to be alone. You are going to have people that are not going to believe in you. You are going to have people that will talk shit about you. You will have people that are watching your efforts only because they want to see you fail. They can’t wait to see you fail! And many of these people are called FAMILY! And part of being an entrepreneur is to say, “Fuck them!” See you have to understand that you are doing something that the majority of people will not even attempt to do. Their brain and mindset is set up differently than yours is. They simply don’t believe in you. And that’s fine! That’s ok! In a way it is better for them to not believe in you. I know for me, that adds fire to me. That makes me want to prove them wrong so much more! They don’t believe in you because they themselves can’t do it so in their mind nor can you. They don’t have the capacity to see your vision. And again, it’s ok! Fuck them! Show them!
Make yourself a promise to do something each day that furthers the growth of your company! Start off small…. go get a business license! That makes it official and now you have to continue! You can’t go back now. Every day, do something to bring value to that piece of paper. Do something every day that will give that paper substance!
As an entrepreneur there are no Saturdays or Mondays or Fridays! There are just work days….. seven of them! I see it all the time. People want to become entrepreneur but lack the drive and discipline to grow and develop there business. They want the rewards without the work! This is why out of 100 entrepreneurs 8 of them will develop a successful business. Isn’t that crazy? 92 out of 100 people that start a business will fail! Some of you reading this right now will not make it. And these people will often find excuses such as I didn’t have any opportunities to grow or I couldn’t find time, or I needed more money, or whatever the excuse is. Let me tell you, the business world doesn’t give a fuck about your excuses. It doesn’t care that you had to take care of your dying mom and so your business failed. It just doesn’t care. So any excuse that you can come up with as to why you are not successful with your business is a reflection of you and only you. Remember when I told you that if you start a business you will feel alone? You feel it because you are alone. I think I like that aspect the most though. I have a deep understanding that if I fail in my business, that it was because of something I did or did not do. I can’t make an excuse! And I thoroughly enjoy that concept!
You must be willing to sacrifice everything you are right now to become who you want to be in your future. Be ready to tell friends and family members “ no “ a lot. “No, I can’t go hang out tonight, I have to work”. Trust me, when you say this and they don’t see your business, they are going to ask you “you work late on Fridays?” Your reply, “Yes! I work late every day! This is something I believe in and I don’t expect you to understand but for now, I can’t go hang out with you tonight!” You will get the “wanna hang out tonight?” a lot. Hopefully you stick to your dreams and goals and stay working.
One of my biggest pet peeves is seeing a young entrepreneur out every Friday and Saturday night, spending all day Sunday recuperating, and then come Monday only put in like three hours towards his business and maybe two hours on Tuesday cause you know, it’s taco Tuesday, and they have to be seen with all of their friends. Then they complain because they have tried for three years to get their business up and running and have had little to no success! Of course not you dumb fuck! You aren’t committed to your dream, your vision. You are too interested in chasing tail at the clubs and drinking til you pass out. I think I may have just dated myself by using the phrase “chasing tail”.
Entrepreneurs bust their ass day in and day out 7 days a week. It’s because they have a vision so large that they develop a work ethic that allows them to chase that vision on a daily bases. I believe it is important to have a huge vision. This way when things don’t go your way, and trust me, they won’t always go how you planned it, but these things become small when you have such a big picture. So dream big! See your vision as if you are living in it now. You can see your business, you can hear your business, you can almost smell your business. And every day you work towards that vision, the colors become more clear, the sounds become louder. Your business is slowly taking form.
So you still wanna be an entrepreneur? Then fucking do it! Start right now and never look back! If you need help or have questions, please contact me and let’s set up a free discovery session. I’d be happy to help you!
Troy Goings Coaching 