Am I Lazy?

After much brow-beating followed by a good swift kick in the butt, I am finally back to posting to my blogs. It's really quite shameful that I, a certified life coach, could be such a great example of procrastination at its finest. Everday I talk about "the plan" and what I "should" do and yet things just haven't been getting done. At times like this, I know it is my cue to do some deep soul-searching to reassess what truly is important. What is the big picture and what am I doing to achieve it? Are there roadblocks standing in my way or am I just being lazy?

I work hard so it can't be that I am lazy. I am always involved in some activity or another. But I think herein lies the problem: too much focus on pointless activity and not a lot of movement in the intended direction. This means that it is really time to make a fundamental shift to get my butt into gear. Over half of 2008, my year to be great, is gone and I can not truly say that I am effectively working toward my goals. I haven't touched my manuscript, I haven't been updating my blogs, I haven't been consistently airing a radio show and I haven't been hosting too many events. Basically I am doing a whole lot of stopping and starting which realistically isn't getting me anywhere. So what's the solution; regroup and regain focus of the big picture.

So what is the big picture? My true goal is to be financially comfortable (notice I didn't say "stable") and to consistently support at least 10 people per month. So I know the "what" but it lacks a "why". If you know anything about me by now then you know that I am big on purpose. Purpose is crucial to direction and motivation. Your "what", or in my case, activity, doesn't matter if you have no purpose, or direction. So why is it important that I support 10 people each month? 10 is a great number that offers me great flexibility. It means that I can support 10 individuals or a group of 10 people. I can coach, mediate or consult on a one-on-one basis or put on a big event that helps many. In any case, 10 people, based on my known fees, will definitely assist in my first goal which is that of being financially comfortable. 10 will pay the bills and allow me something to work into savings. 10 also does not take up so much of my time that I become overwhelmed or forget to relax and play.

So I covered "what" and "why" leaving the next step as "how". I know that most of my clients come from the internet. People type in "chicago life coach" into Google or AOL or Yahoo and, lo and behold, there I am in the number one spot. I worked really hard to get there and now it's up to me to keep myself there so I can continue to be found by those who desire my services. That number 1 spot is all abot quality content and relative links. I didn't pay some overrated SEO specialist hundreds of thousands to put me there. I did it for free. The key is simply to find sites with related quality content and to request reciprocal links. That means that I only trade links with sites about business, coaching, management, personal and professional development or any of my other "keywords". You will never find my info on a site about dog grooming as that topic has no correlation with my own. Secondly, I have to write good quality content that includes my links. My articles and blogs play an important part in keeping my links fresh on the spiderbots' lists of sites to crawl. Those crawlers absolutely love new content so if I want to keep my number one spot, I have to give it to them.

The last step in this process is to establish the "when". Sounds simple enough but I haven't been doing it. The answer to when seems to always be tomorrow or something like it; i.e. later. That just doesn't cut it. New Rule: When is always NOW. The established time will be everyday after my workout (around 11:30 AM CST); however, if throughout the day something crosses my mind that will move me closer to my goals then I will drop everything and add it to my planner right then and there.

Now I have a plan. I will be looking to my readers to help me stay accountable to this plan. If you stop by and don't see a new post at least once per week then by all means send me an email or post a comment. I treasure your constructive feedback.

Finally, since I never like to leave a post on the negative side, I have been doing a good job of getting one thing accomplished: my workout. I have been going to the gym pretty much five times per week. I have already lost a few pounds and inches and even put on a little muscle mass. I will post pics after I feel there is a significant visible difference. Big victory for me!