Wk - When I Grow Up

What I Did To Get Certified Launch My Biz While Working 50 Hrs/Wk - When I Grow Up From August of 2007  (when I started my job as an Executive Assistant  and my life coaching certification) through March of 2010 (when I became The When I Grow Up Coach full-time), I had the same routine:  I left my apartment a  little after 8, commuted to work, clocked in right before 9 and out right at 6, and got home a little before 7. In between, there was an hour for lunch. The bulk of every day was the same 50 hours each week traveling to and working at my day job. During those two years and seven months, I got my certification. And engaged. And married. And launched my business. And got my first clients. And built up my coaching  enough to give my notice during the recession and never have to look back. Almost 7 years later  (how is that possible?!), I look back on that window of time and think: How? How did I get it all done? How did my head not explode? How did I keep at it for almost 3 years without giving up and losing hope? How did I keep (most of) my friends? Here are the things I remember making the biggest difference: I picked a job that didnt require overtime.  The job I left not only had a bullying boss that made me psychosomatic, but it had needless travel and expected me to be on my Blackberry 24/7. While 50 hours/week aint small potatoes, knowing that I had my lunch hour  and my time after 6pm as well as my weekends as my own was priceless. I did  something every day.  Sending a tweet, leaving a blog comment (this was 2007-2010, remember?), writing website copy, updating my client consultation questionsif you have (make!) 15 minutes, you can get something done. 15 minutes/day equals almost 8 hours a month, which isnt chump change! It also keeps your motivation up, because youre moving *something* forward every day, and that keeps your business at the top of mind. I worked on  business stuff at work.  About a year into my day job, I got transferred to an office space directly across the street from my manager. I had a more private work area, and could easily shift my monitor in my cubicle so nobody could see what I was working on if they walked by. Dont get me wrong I did my work, and did it well but when I didnt have anything to do and I could squeeze it in, Id draft  blog posts (but never published them during work hours!), create Twitter lists, do reading for my classes, etc. There is  no shame in this game unless it affects the work that youre being paid to do. I took  2ish lunch hours/week for clients or classes.  It wouldnt be every lunch hour, because that wouldve made me way anxious. But taking 2 lunch hours each week to attend a class or coach a client (yes, Id reserve a conference room and hope nobody would knock on the door!) or work on a collaboration went a long way. I had a work buddy  that was in on the whole thing.  My buddy Deirdre was my anchor at work. She was a former actress just like me, she also wanted something More for herself, and she was a great listener  and talker ?? I started with Phase One.  Wanted to work with me? There was just 1 way to do it 12 sessions over 12 weeks. My website was  basic, designed and developed at first by my husband (who was neither a designer or a developer, discuss) and then, a few months later, updated with a new logo and a professional blog banner (fancy!).  Having the site and the offer be Phase One no bells, no whistles, no courses, no books it made it easy for me to figure out what was working, and build on it, instead of sinking lots of time and money on what I  thought it should be. I said  No in order to say Yes, mostly to happy hours.  Most nights and part of most weekends were spent working or studying, so lots of the lesser social invites I got during this time got Nos. No happy hours, more than once a month or so. No birthday parties for acquaintances I barely knew. I got very selective, knowing each Yes I gave meant I was giving my business a No. Other honorable mentions: Deep breathing. Breaks. Exercise. Not burning the candle at both ends. Remembering that your true friends will stand by you. And remember: If this is what you have to do for a finite amount of time so you can do what you dream of full-time, it will all be worth it.