Don't be a nearly (wo)man

It’s taken years of getting up and taking action to build our business. Yes, there have been days when I couldn’t be bothered, or had something else going on in my life, but I’ve discovered that just doesn’t matter. Success is never guaranteed, it only happens by taking action, consistently.

My partner and husband, Graeme, and I met at work. We connected over a shared desire to achieve more. Together we developed a belief that, if we put in more effort than almost everyone else did, we’d reach our goals. Back then, all we wanted was to replace our salaries, and achieve “financial freedom”, so we saved a bit of cash, and both quit our jobs on the same day, whilst I was pregnant with our first child.

My family and friends thought we were mad, and put the fear of God into us. I was going against everything I’d been taught growing up, “go to school, get a job”, and it was terrifying, but belief and mountains of naivety propelled us into self-employment, and entrepreneurialism.

To cut the story short, despite many setbacks, mistakes, and a rapidly depleting savings account, we made it happen and achieved our goals of replacing our earning income with passive income and became financially free. We managed to enjoy the “laptop lifestyle” for about a week before coming to the realisation that it wasn’t for us, we LOVE business, and need to be pushing for more, it’s just part of our DNA, so our goals just kept getting bigger and more audacious.

Graeme and I, and now joined by our kids, complete an annual review, discussing what we want out of life through the next 12 months, and set HUGE goals. Most importantly we hold each other accountable throughout the year. We make commitments to each other, and to us that sticks.

American Insurance Exec turned Sports Team owner and motivational speaker, Art Williams said it best; “Almost everybody, almost does it, almost every time. Almost is a way of life, for almost everybody”. It’s the story of how people have ideas, and plan, but only get as far as nearly doing it…I call them the Nearly Men, or Women.

Graeme and I have only ever known working together, since we met at work, and we run our various businesses together, as partners. It’s strange to me the number of people who say they could never work with their spouse, it just works for us, but it can get heated. We want the absolute best for each other, I want Graeme to be the best he can possibly be, and I push him, the same as he pushes me to stay on track. If he tells me he’ll do something, I’ll hold him to it…and it works both ways. I’ll admit, there’s nothing fun about being held to account when you haven’t done something, it’s painful, but motivating and focusses me to get stuff done.

Letting your partner down is one thing, but I think there is nothing worse than breaking a commitment to yourself. ?If you say you’ll get up at a certain time, get up then. If you say you’ll go to the gym, go. If you say you’ll make the call, make it. Not doing it is letting yourself down, and every time you do it is another defeat and it becomes a way of life.

If you say you’ll do something, do it. Build a reputation for being the person that does what you say you’ll do. Don’t be a nearly (wo)man, learn to pull the trigger and get stuff done…consistently.