I believe we can each change the world!
I shared a few weeks ago why I became a life coach after 26 years in healthcare. The next question is ok, so, why would I put effort in to start a business when I have a good job that I love?
The quick answer?
I believe we can each change the world. This is part of how I intend to do that.
In this blog post I will share the longer answer and share how I have grown in this first 18 months of my business.
2020 was a great year!
Seriously – I am not lying to you. 2020 was one of the best years for me, despite ALL of the craziness in the world that year.
Here is why.
I was INTENTIONAL with support and accountability and was able to accomplish much more than I thought I could!
· Personally:
o I lost 30 pounds.
o I didn’t have a drink of alcohol (since Oct 31, 2019).
o I had fun finding creative ways to have family time (when vacations were canceled).
o I earned a coaching certification.
o I grew in my faith.
o I hired a coach who helped me overcome limiting beliefs.
o I volunteered by delivering goods to people when they were quarantined.
o I even led the team that hired a Pastor for our church and welcomed him as he and his family moved across the country.
· Professionally:
o My education team trained nurses effectively in ways that I had, 3-6 months prior, been told isn’t possible, among many other things.
o My informatics team setup vaccine scheduling and processes that weren’t thought of previously, among many other things.
o This list could seriously go on for a long time. I won’t bore you all. Those teams were AH-mazing in the work they did! I am so proud of them, even today.
o The last day of the year – I created my LLC!
It was a great year! And the world around me was in chaos.
There is a Christian song called “Symphony” by Switch. The chorus says, “Even in the madness; there is peace. Drowning out the voices; all around me. Through all of this chaos, You are writing a symphony.”
When I think of 2020 (and frankly each year since then) I think of this song.
I want every person, especially those that work in healthcare, to have this feeling of joy and peace, even in the chaos of the world. So I stepped into business and created Growing with Timbers, LLC.
Life has been good. We all know life is not perfect. Here are some of the good, and challenges or learnings that have occurred since the start of my business.
In December 2020 I had created a set of goals with the help of my coach in regard to the business.
She had me write down how many clients I wanted to have in the first year, how much I wanted to earn and how many classes I wanted to host and some dates for some specifics (like website, etc) even though I had no idea what ‘normal’ was.
Here’s the cool part – all of those “in the first year” goals. I hit by April! I say this not to say oh Patti is so amazing. For me it was more so confirmation on what I was supposed to be doing. I was JAZZED! I LOVE my first clients – some are my most sustained clients and supporters (THANK YOU to those clients! I am so blessed by you!).
Here’s where ‘the suck’ or learning/growing comes in. I have still struggled a bit with the question many of you ask, even up to yesterday! Who is your client? What do you help them with?
It has become clearer as I continue to move. I have had to learn to be patient in the learning – and it is HARD!!! I want to keep going at a fast pace. But I have had to take a pause this year to really stop, give space to hear God’s voice and allow myself to reflect and really understand what it is I do, who it is and how it is that I help.
Honestly, just yesterday with my coach (yes, the same one almost 2 years later), I felt like I am finally getting closer to the who. I want to help everyone with everything. That is the “positive Patti” coming out. But I needed to have some reality checks along the way that as my old boss would say, I can’t ‘boil the ocean’.
When I started out in January I said – “I want to help nurses step away from the bedside”. I successfully freaked out all my healthcare leader friends. I'm sorry! I didn’t want to help EVERYONE step away from the bedside. I wanted to help those that have decided to take non-bedside roles understand how to step into them. But as I started to create things around that, I got confirmation that this wasn’t what I should be doing.
Then I thought, well, maybe I’m not supposed to be in healthcare any longer?
So I leaned back to all of my personal growth I have done. Maybe I am supposed to help everyone that wants to change – whether it is weight, job, personal growth, etc. Whatever the change – I can help! Well, that is the ocean I was trying to boil.
Then I leaned on my experience as a healthcare leader, and my certification in leadership training. I should train, speak to and encourage healthcare leaders! That was a nope too.
As you can see by my pattern – I decide, start to move, and then look for confirmation.
This isn’t a bad process. It is just takes time. And I am happy I have done this instead of going 100% all in on one thing for a LONG time and then regretting it.
I have had to be patient with myself. It is even a little embarrassing when I am telling people I am a coach, and they ask me questions I don’t know the answer to. It seems like through 2021 up to now I have had a different answer for everyone. Here’s the thing. IT’S OK to not know where you are going!
One big learning is that we need to move forward to see if we are going in the right direction. I say to Owen, you can't steer a parked car. We can’t plan for perfection. We must try something and then be ok to say, “Nope, that wasn’t right. Let’s adjust.”
I’ve been reading and listening to a book called Think Again by Adam Grant*. In this book he talks about how hard it is for us to be able to adjust like this. However, those that can find more success in the long run. This is an amazing book that I highly recommend for so many reasons.
However, the biggest piece is still – START somewhere. Do SOMETHING!
I’ve done ok though. Not everything has needed to change. It is like I was moving slowly toward the truth.
I started 2021 by creating Mission, Vision and Values statements. This was important to be sure I had very clear direction. However, it has been a work in progress due to all I have mentioned. The overall goal hasn't changed and my values haven't budged.
So, that conversation with my coach yesterday? It finally dawned on me that I was confusing the WHO, WHAT and HOW. I now have clarity!
WHAT do I do? I help you to overcome limiting beliefs, false beliefs that you might have been telling yourself for years (like I had) that have resulted in some coping mechanism that is holding you back.
HOW I do this is through the certifications and tools (coaching tools, Genesis process certification as well as my experiences).
WHO do I focus on? I really am passionate and want to help nurses and those in healthcare as they have done SO MUCH for all of us, especially these past years. I feel compelled to give back to my community.
SO! I share with you. Hot off the press, updated after 18 months of growing pains the Growing with Timbers Mission, Vision and Values.
Mission
The mission of Growing with Timbers is to equip Nurses to be the truest version of themselves, so the world becomes a better place.
Vision
The vision of Growing with Timbers is to help people see that they can make choices to improve the world in which they live, despite the choices they have made in the past.
Values
Faith in God: By living prayerfully in accordance with God’s purpose for my life.
Generous with time, money, and people: By paying it forward, donating a portion of revenue and supporting non-profit organizations.
Healthy in mind, body, and spirit: By saying no when needed, creating boundaries, moving my body regularly and making healthy choices.
Persistent through the good and bad: By not giving up when the going gets tough. This is when I put my faith in God that I am in the position for a reason. I find that learning comes out of those challenging times.
Integrity in everything: By walking the walk and being an example of how individuals can change their path and thought process.
Growth takes time. We need to stop, pause and look back to see how far we have come.
I am so happy and blessed that you that are reading this are on this journey with me. Thank you for your support it means the world!
In the next few weeks, I will be digging in more deeply on some of the specific changes I have made over the years and how you can start to make the same incremental change.
It is time to think differently and understand that we have way more impact on our world than we often think we do.
*Note: The link will bring you to a sample and is an associate link; which means I would make a small profit from any purchase.
