Early on in my career as a businesswoman, I used to think that success means to be popular, to have lots of money, to be involved in several projects at my regular 9-5 job, meanwhile, I also had a thriving business with about 16 women working under me, a customer service lady and with my girlfriend as my business partner.
At the same time, I was also a mother, a daughter, a house owner, and engaged to my partner. I was also learning to make my own products for the business as well while also transiting into having regular workouts every day instead of once in a while since I’ve always been an athlete from childhood and its part of what keeps me balanced.
Like the saying goes; I was wearing too many hats and had a lot on my plate to deal with almost always. In fact, just writing about it sends shivers down my spine and I’m almost having a nervous breakdown right now.
My Five Tips to Success are ones that are very personal to me; they are not the typical ones you’d find on Google that are mostly motivational talk. These are tips that I have implemented in my own life to create the success I enjoy today and the ones I’ll enjoy in the future but first, let me share with you my personal thoughts on what I think success is all about.
The number one tip for me is that success is not about money. This can be easily misconstrued but as I said earlier, these are my personal opinions on what I think success is.
When I was trying to keep a regular job and run a business at the same time I had lots of money coming in but I wasn’t living a fulfilled life. I always used to think back then that if I made enough money to own a house then I would feel successful, I would have the money to travel wherever I wanted and to buy all the things that I wanted but in reality, this was not so as even though I could afford a very comfortable lifestyle, I still wasn’t feeling happy or successful like I would want to.
So it’s not about the money; the money never buys the process of becoming that person you’ve always known on the inside you wanted to be and truly there is no amount of money that can buy you that process because you want to learn from your experiences and mistakes in order to eventually become that person. You want to enjoy every bit of the ride and make sure it’s not about the money. Make sure you’re passionate about what you do and eventually the money will come, only that this time it would not have been about the money.
My ideal notion of success had always been; be a good mom, be in a supportive relationship but by the time I got to wall street, I got all confused and started losing my true self-image.
For instance, when I started my cleaning business, at first I was ashamed considering where I was coming from, I didn’t realize that the business was actually revealing that part of me that is very clean, organized and calm. Then I launched my own products which were essential oils in order to help bring peace into homes. I even launched a second branch of a business called Peace & Clean.
For me, the goal was to help create harmony for women like me who were wearing too many hats and it even became more enjoyable for me through the process because of the positive feedback I was getting from most of my clients and when the number of my employees started growing, I was happy to see that I had created all that but after a while, it became about the money which is the point I’m trying to make; MAKE SURE YOU’RE NOT DRIVEN BY THE MONEY.
For me, success is CONTENTMENT; when I don’t have to stress always and be under so much pressure of life. I FEEL SUCCESSFUL WHEN I AM HAPPY AND I AM ABLE TO STRIKE A RIGHT BALANCE BETWEEN BEING A MOM, A FRIEND, A WIFE, A SISTER AND A DAUGHTER WHILE I ALSO GET TO WORK OUT, EAT HEALTHY, COACH OTHERS AND FIND REST WHETHER OR NOT I’M FINANCIALLY SECURE OR NOT.
As long as I can afford to pay my bills and buy the things that I want then I am very content that way. I know it’s not easy to be trying to get by on a lea budget, that can also be stressful but I think that if you’re reading this blog, then you’ll also be getting a few tips on business success and money so I’ll try my best to just let you know how I moved from my 9-5 regular job to becoming a Health Coach.
Success for me is more about finding the right balance between work and family life.
Now that I have put all that out, I think it’s time for me to start sharing those tips on what I think success means for me .
1. AUTHENTICITY
Number one tip on my list is AUTHENTICITY. I am going to try to keep this one short and sweet as I often get this question about how I became a Health Coach, how I get to write my blogs, work out and do all the stuff that I get to do. One time, one of my friends asked me how I became a health coach, and how do I get clients? In my head I felt like this was already a wrong mindset, rather she should be interested in wanting to know; what does a Health Coach do for people?
The whole reason I even started out as a Health Coach was that back then as an employee and an employer, I was so busy and stressed out that I wasn’t taking good care of myself the right way. I was desperate to find a healthy balance between all of that work and so I was talking to people, asking questions about how to live healthier cut off sugar and fries intake, etc. and I wasn’t really getting the results I desired.
Then the thought struck me that why not I go and get certified and provide people this service since this was something that was going to be very natural for me, so here you see; I had a GOAL and a WHY, and come to think of it, if you’re not authentic about what you’re able and not able to do then you might not be very successful at what you eventually decide to do. Lastly, it takes time to build the muscles of any business so you need to adapt your authenticity to the business so that you can last. Start something you love to do during the day and dream about at night.
2. PASSION
This one is number two on my list. Find something that motivates you and you’re willing to do for a very long time and do it. It’s important that we do what we do for the right reasons even if we don’t get paid for some time while we’re doing it. For instance, when I started, I was very content taking Health Coach lessons for free at my gym because I was just trying to get my front foot through the door of the Fitness Industry, after which I then decided to venture into creating content within the industry through my social media accounts, blogs, and newsletters.
3. YOU ARE MOSTLY INFLUENCED BY THE THREE CLOSEST PEOPLE TO YOU.
This may sound like a difficult pill to swallow depending on your circumstances but it’s the truth anyway. We are usually influenced by the three closest people to us a lot more than we know. I’m sure there are those who may not agree with me but I stand by what I say, you are influenced largely by the three people closest to you.
For me, this has been a matter of experience; thinking back I can see how my three closest people have influenced my life and that didn’t help reveal the best version of me but I am glad all that happened because right now I can look back and say that I am much more myself now than I was then. Now I have become much more productive as the three people closest to me now are constantly cheering me on to do and become better. They are; my husband, my best friend, and my family.
My best friend has helped push me into business, encouraging me to go ahead that I could do it. I have Ivan (My husband) who takes care of my heart and my emotions and then my family who help to keep me humble and cool-headed. Now you can imagine what your success story would look like if your three closest people are always inviting you to party and have fun.
My advice; get off toxicity, learn to stay focused on your goals, and have self-discipline.
4. FIND A MENTOR
I have different people in my life that play the role of a Mentor. I have a handful of people who I seek their opinions about different projects and I take advice from them or I end up just taking my own advice. For instance, if you’re in the clothes business and you have friends who like clothes and are in fashion, then they become more of your audience and your target market. It would not be advisable to receive advice from them on the business side of things and then just run with it.
What you should do is ask the right people the right questions and take their advice seriously. I used to think previously that I knew it all, then when I asked my mentors for advice and took it and then my business started taking a new turn.
5. REAL LIONS LOVE TO HUNT (Quote from Eric Thomas)
They love “the price” as much as they love the price they have to pay to get it.
Some people do not really want to go through the process; they just want to score the points but real men know how important it is to put in the work. You need to not love the prices if you’re not willing to pay the price it takes for the next 5 years to see the results you desire (just like I mentioned in point #2), you have to be in love with the growth process.
If you’re not getting the results you desire, you’re probably not working the process hard enough and I think it’s better if you’re smart to carefully consider the price you have to pay for “the price” and determine to get it done and wait for your big break to come, for surely it will come.
Hope you enjoyed my five tips for this episode. Watch out for the next episode (Part #2) where I’ll be sharing 5 additional tips on what I think success is.