It’s 3:00 am…
…and Linda is sleeping peacefully. She doesn’t wake up in a cold sweat, wondering how in the world she can keep all the parts of her life and business in balance. At least … not anymore.
A born-n-bred farm girl from the prairies of Alberta, raised by hard-working parents who struggled to make ends meet, Linda McLean never had any of the “luxuries” she saw other children enjoying … like going on vacations or taking dance, skating, or piano lessons.
Deep down inside, she just KNEW she wanted something different in the future, and for her future family.
“When I galloped my horse across the fields, as a young girl,” Linda recalls, “I would dream of having a handsome husband and wonderful children, of living in a beautiful home, traveling the world, doing all the things I so desired. And more than anything, I wanted to follow in my oldest brother’s footsteps.”
Linda’s brother had his own successful business selling real estate, and doing major land and building development projects all across the continent. Linda loved that he always had very dedicated, loyal, and hard-working people in his business – and she wanted the same, some day.
Fast-forward to the year 2000: Linda was living in Toronto, and her childhood dreams were all coming true. She had her handsome hubby, two terrific daughters, and a flourishing consulting business of her own.
But this success was taking its toll. Linda had allowed herself to get “REALLY out of balance”, as she says. Then they moved all the way to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania … and that’s when things began to fall apart.
“I found myself in a new country, trying to get settled by getting our daughters into their activities – gymnastics, dance, and piano – finding a new church, and working absolutely crazy hours trying to keep my clients and family happy. I was juggling like mad.”
Her business started slowing down, the money began drying up, and holding both her business and her sanity together became more and more of a challenge. Still, she blindly believed things would somehow magically fix themselves.
Then on November 7th of 2000 Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer.
And that’s when it hit her:
“I wasn’t doing for myself and MY business what I was teaching others to do for THEIRS! Instead, I was trying to ‘do it all’ with no purpose, and no plan. I had lost sight of what success meant to me, and fallen into the common trap of working IN my business, more than ON it. And all that pressure, and all that overwhelm, had finally come to a head in the worst way.”
So she hired a business coach, and reconnected with one of her key mentors – Bob Proctor.
Working with that coach, Linda realized she needed to have a plan – a “wash-rinse-repeat” process she could apply to reaching ANY milestone in her business, and then immediately apply again to the next. A system that would work for achieving any goal, and be as reliable and repeatable as the seasons.
Now, here’s the thing:
She already had one! But it was a case of not seeing the forest for the trees.
“Working with my coach,” says Linda, “made me realize I already HAD the solution – it was right under my nose. I just hadn’t formalized it! I was already creating plans for my clients that served as roadmaps to operating and building THEIR businesses. The sort of plan that simply didn’t allow for distractions. Or, more to the point, continued rolling along in spite of them. It was time to cast that sucker in cement, and follow my own advice!”
“From that day forward, things began to change,” she says. “DRAMATICALLY!”
Once she “formalized” the Snapshot Business Planning system, Linda had a plan she could then customize for each client’s business – no need to start from scratch each time. This freed up time to either go more in-depth with any given client, or work with more people. It also relieved a LOT of stress in her life!
She was now able to focus better on work while at work … and on her family, her new home, and (most importantly) her health, when not working. And there is simply no way to quantify, or put a “value” on that.
For one thing, Linda has been cancer-free for the past 17 years! Here’s how she sums up her life, now:
“This morning – like every morning – when I awoke, I almost had to pinch myself to be sure I wasn’t still dreaming! I enjoy an amazing view overlooking the City of Reno. I have my boyfriend of 38 years (and husband of 33 years) beside me. Our daughters are kind, loving women who are very successful in their own areas of business. But what makes me most proud is their love of family and friends, and their kindness toward others. That is the real measure of success – for our whole family.
“We cherish our family time together – golfing, dining with friends, travelling the world, and all sorts of other fun things.
“I am SO incredibly grateful for this life I live – and love. And so much of it is the result of getting back to the basics, and ‘walking my talk’ – applying all those important steps I was already teaching my clients.”
Look, we all get off track, sooner or later. When it happens to you, take a step back. Make sure you’re still covering all the basics. And follow a plan – a proven plan.
Amy Stoehr
Executive Coach, McLean International
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Linda McLean – #1 best-selling author, and advisor to entrepreneurs, executives, and business owners around the globe – has gathered all the most important elements of her proven system into her newest book Snapshot Business Planning: 12 Quick And Easy Steps To Take Your Business To The Next Level. Check it out here: http://bit.ly/SBPMcL
