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I used to believe that only educated, rich or privileged people were the ones that started businesses and owned companies. As I’m none of those things, I firmly believed that people like me weren’t supposed to do that. I thought it was too complicated and I had absolutely no idea how to do it or where to start.

I now know that not only can anyone start a business if they choose to but also that my old way of thinking was keeping me small. I was blinded to the potential that is within me. In reality, I can figure out a way to do anything if I really want it.

So, how do I embody what I now believe?

I live it, every single day. Now I’m a business owner, I focus on how I feel in the moment to get the most out of my time. Being disciplined is also a big part of it but to the degree that I include the freedom of being my own boss alongside the hustle.

Each morning I ask myself what I need to accomplish that day. I write a list with two columns. One for the business tasks that need to be done and one for the things I want to do that will bring me joy.

What changed? In yesterday’s post I told you how there came a point in my life when I realised something had to change. That led me to decide what I ultimately wanted out of life. Once I’d made up my mind I started to observe the people that already had those things so I could figure out how to go about creating the life I wanted.

It turns out they all ran their own successful businesses that afforded them the freedom I was looking for in my own life. Even though I had previously believed this wasn’t an option for me, I knew this was the key to changing my life.

Again, all the limiting beliefs from my old way of thinking started floating to the surface but I knew nothing would change unless I changed. I started my business and now I live my life the way I choose to.

With a simple change in perspective comes the realisation that you alone are responsible for your success and holding on to a belief that no longer serves you is only holding you back. Your potential is limitless, you just have to believe it.

#exposeyourtruth #30daychallenge #upanduplife

I used to have this bad habit of being rigidly independent. I thought by doing everything for myself I wouldn’t need to rely on anyone else, I would never be let down and I would have freedom without having to live up to anyone else’s expectations.

I lived with this habit for a long time but the breaking point came a few years ago when I was relocating. Moving my home and my life to another area to start a new job.

It all happened in quite a rush as these things often do. I had to start the new job immediately. This meant for the first month I was commuting a 150 mile round trip each day, learning a new role, searching for a new place to live and packing and moving all my belongings on my own in the evenings and at weekends. It was exhausting but because I had lived my life with such rigid independence until this point, I didn’t have anyone to ask for help when I really needed it.

I knew this could not continue so I resolved to change. I started journalling to get some insight into why I had felt compelled to live this way. I was unable to ask for help under the guise that it would make my life easier but it didn’t. Doing this simple exercise helped me to see that it wasn’t the other people that I didn’t trust. It was in fact myself.

While taking care of myself was, on the surface an empowering action, the deeper reasons for doing so were that I didn’t trust myself enough to accept my own growth and development. It was safer to stay small and in my comfort zone.

These days my life is very different. I’m not afraid to ask for help and I make my own personal development a priority so I can achieve all my goals. I trust myself to make decisions and I invest in myself with coaching and courses to get the most of my life and my business.

We may feel free when we are totally independent but doing everything alone isn’t always fun. If you can find good people and start trusting yourself, you’ll open up your life and remove limitations. We all need a little help sometimes, don’t cut yourself off from others. Life is too short to miss out on shared experiences.

Have you ever had a job that you hate?

I have and it was a thoroughly unpleasant experience. I accepted the job thinking it would be a great opportunity but it wasn’t. The role was nothing like it had been described, the people were not helpful at all and some of them were just plain nasty. I spent most of my time there extremely stressed and just waiting for the day to end.

When I got home I would worry about having to go back the next day. In the morning I would wake up and cry because I really didn’t want to go back. I was so unhappy but I felt stuck there because I had to support myself. I was sacrificing my happiness to keep a roof over my head.

I struggled on for several months becoming more and more miserable until one day I couldn’t take it anymore. It was becoming unbearable and I realised the only person keeping me there was me.

I was afraid to leave because I wouldn’t have an income but what was the alternative? Staying there was damaging my mental health. What if I just left? Was it true that this was the only job for me? No, of course not!

So, I resigned that very day and one month later I was free. All it took was one decision to take action to change it. Obviously, there were practical issues I had to deal with but a couple of months later I did find another job. It wasn’t easy during that time without an income but I figured it out.

Several years later I’ve been able to create my own business. I don’t have to work for someone else anymore and my days are filled with joy and freedom instead of stress and unhappiness.

Now I live my life as I choose and I’ve created a life I once thought wasn’t possible for me. I help other women to make change in theirs lives too just like I changed mine. It feels amazing to be able to help others create transformation for themselves.

If you want to make change in your life and need support, book a call with me using the form below:

People often ask me, ‘What’s the best thing about being an entrepreneur?’

There are plenty of benefits of course…..

Being my own boss

No commuting

Setting my own schedule

The ability to work from anywhere

Creating a business that aligns with my values

The motivation to constantly improve my skillset

Being able to choose what project I’ll work on next

Hand picking who I work with

But for me the main plus point is without a doubt being able to wake up without an alarm.

After three decades of waking up to the alarm clock to go to work for someone else, the sound alone is enough to set off an anxiety response in me which leads to the release of stress hormones before I even get out of bed. Not a great start to the day. Even if I hear the alarm sound during the day it’s enough the send a shiver down my spine. Alarm anxiety is real.

When I left my 9-5 job the first thing I did was switch my alarm off – permanently. The feeling of freedom in that one simple act was unlike anything I’d experienced before. Just having the power to say ‘I’m not doing that anymore’ was unbelievably liberating.

It needs to be said that waking up without an alarm clock comes with a certain amount of responsibility. If it’s going to work you need to have strong morning and evening routines in place or you can end up sleeping your whole morning away, but once you get that right and you become consistent, let me assure you there is no turning back.

As an entrepreneur you can create your own definition of success. I have several things on my list that I would consider make me successful but the main one that really makes me feel like I’ve achieved something is the freedom of no alarm. It sounds too simple to represent being successful but to me, knowing that I never have to wake up to that harsh, jarring sound to go to a job working for someone else, is truly a privilege.

#exposeyourtruth #30daychallenge #upanduplife

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Being outside your comfort zone can be challenging but the more time we spend there the more bold moves we feel able to make. So what is it that stops us from stepping outside our comfort zone?

Fear? Complacency? Procrastination?

When I think about what my life was like five years ago, the main thing I’m struck by is how much my former self and my present self differ. Even though my former self only exists in my memories now, I know I have made significant progress in a few short years.

Looking back, I would say my life was quite ordinary. I had a job, a car, a social life and the luxury of living alone. Other than that it was unremarkable. I was unremarkable.

I would go to work everyday to my lacklustre job and count down the hours until the weekend. At the weekend I would go clubbing and drink too much and before I knew it, it would be Monday morning again. Life on repeat.

I could say I look back and wonder why I didn’t want more for myself but the truth is I did want more.

I knew I must be capable of more

I knew there must be more to life

I knew I wanted to be happier

I knew I wanted to improve my life in general

What I didn’t know was how

I knew I wanted something different and that meant I must do something different to get it. Transformation can take place with bold moves, they can also happen with small consistent actions so I decided to transform my life from an empty existence to one filled with purpose, freedom and happiness with a series of small habits in five key areas of my life.

Fitness, Finances, Growth, Wellbeing and Career.

This meant exercising regularly, saving and investing my money, reading a book or listening to a podcast daily and meditation and journalling each day. By sticking to these habits consistently I saw results over time. This gave me the confidence to make bold moves, so I left my 9-5 job and started my own business.

Now I set new goals regularly that I push myself to achieve to keep moving forward in my personal growth and my business and I know there are more good things ahead.

#exposeyourtruth #30daychallenge #upanduplife