Now we’re coming to the end of arguably the weirdest year on record, it's the perfect time to look back on it and gain some perspective.
I did this exercise using my 'Reflecting on 2020 & Bossing 2021' Guide and it made me realise just how far I'd come.
Back in January I was at home, signed off work with stress and anxiety. I was feeling pretty fearful of the year ahead, but I’d been having CBT for a while and was starting to feel the fog lifting, so I hired a coach to help me get back to work.
Over the next month I immersed myself in the process and was able to go back to work part time. I could really start to see a shift happening and the coaching had such a profound effect on me that I decided I wanted to study to become a coach myself.
Over the next six months I studied religiously on the side of my job, lapping up every book, every mindset exercise, every practice client I was able to get my hands on.
In March the first UK lockdown happened. Lucikly my mindset had changed so much by then that I was able to see it as an opportunity to find extra study time during the week when I would've been commuting and at the weekends when I would've been out and about.
In May, I found out I was pregnant! Something that my husband and I had been wanting for a long time.
In June I decided I needed to get over my money mindset blocks once and for all, so I hired Jen McFarlane AKA The Money Medium to help me. I remember thinking that I couldn't afford the monthly cost for the 6 month programme, but something told me to go for it. Looking back now, that lack mindset is exactly the reason I needed the coaching!
In July I qualified as a coach with the Coaching Academy and was awarded a distinction. I decided I wanted to launch my own business coaching other women who were going through a similar situation to the one I’d been in. I had no idea where to start, so I hired Adam Hulme, a disciple of ‘The Prosperous Coach’ methodology to help me. It was by far the biggest investment I’ve ever made in myself - in fact I can't remember a time when I've ever spent anything like that on myself. It felt unbelievably risky, but using the insights I was gaining through my money mindset coaching with Jen, I focused on the outcomes the investment would potentially bring me instead of how much it was costing and took the plunge.
In August I got my first paying client! Something I never thought would happen so quickly. I also plucked up the courage to tell my boss that I was coaching on the side of my 9-5 - something I’d been worrying about and had been putting off. He was amazingly positive and supportive and only made me wish I’d done it sooner.
In September I got my second paying client, at more than double the price of my first one - something both my money mindset and business coaching were instrumental in. This was also the month Adam challenged me live on a coaching call to post my first blog on social media - something I'd been procrastinating on for months. The post got an amazing response and currently has over 1,500 views. This then spurred me on to start my Instagram page, after being off it for nearly 11 months due to anxiety. I now have over 700 followers and an excellent engagement rate.
In October I got my 3rd and 4th clients within a week of each other and had made my investment back in coaching in less than 4 months. I started to realise that both The Prosperous Coach and my own mindset change might be onto something!
In November my first paying client and I decided to collaborate and launch a programme to help budding interior designers change careers. Our goal was to get 10 sign ups and we got 20 amazing women who have been unbelievably inspiring to us both. It's been so successful that we’ve now turned this into a monthly membership programme and are about to launch phase 2 of the programme.
In December, I got my 5th, 6th and 7th clients using a combination of the Prosperous Coach and my own career change programme. I began to realise that I was a legit business woman. More than that - I’m about to become a Mum who runs her own successful business. How much better does it get than that?
Now, on the cusp of 2021, I’ve just gone on maternity leave and launched my first Free guide to help people reflect on 2020 and use those learnings to boss 2021. It's been really well received and has increased my mailing list by 20% in just 4 days.
And that reflection guide is exactly what I used to come up with my 5 biggest lessons from 2020:
1. It's totally possible to change your mindset.
2. You can do anything you put your mind to.
3. Everything seems impossible when you start.
4. Self care is the most important thing.
5. Investing in yourself is the best money you'll ever spend.
And what would I have done differently if I could have 2020 all over again?
Told my boss about my side hustle sooner
Known my worth and increased my prices sooner
Got visible sooner
Starting to see a pattern here? I’d have basically just worried less and started everything sooner. Simples.
To reflect on your own 2020 and use that to plan how you’re going to boss 2021, download your free guide here. It will help you find the lessons from one tough year and use them to create a dream one next year.
Meet Lauren
Career Change & Business Coach and Side Hustle Queen
Hi, I'm Lauren. I burnt out, hit rock bottom and used the experience to manifest my dream life. I now help passionate and ambitious women change career, start side hustles and grow businesses. I'm living proof that you can - and deserve to - have it all.
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