Stephen Conroy

06/01/2025

A great year starts with a great plan!

29/04/2024

Part of the challenge with chasing our goals each week is the size of the goals.
We all want to achieve big amazing things and we all have the potential to achieve these things.
But many of us get overwhelmed and under motivated by the size and heaviness of the work involved to get there which stops us taking the consistent actions to get us there.

Be under no illusions as they say Rome wasn't built in a day, great things take time.
You have to make peace with that, realise where you are now and take consistent steps forward.

Your business or your life wont noticeably change from that one step you take today, and maybe not tomorrow or this week but I can guarantee it will change in 100 days with consistent action in the right direction.
We talk a lot about 1% gains, in many cases its about 0.1% gains.
The little actions add up and build momentum just like pushing a moving car.
Ok it might take you a 1000 steps but you will get there, with commitment that's guaranteed.

So today don't wait - do the action that brings you 0.1% forward - take control of your ship and make it happen

20/03/2024

Your goal is to be happy!

We all want to be successful and a large part of that is setting goals around growing our businesses or progressing our careers.
And whether you are at the start of your career or business journey or the peak it requires hard work to gain that success.
For many unfortunately this comes at a cost in terms of the measure of success they then have in their personal lives.

And I know because I've been there.
I've done the early mornings, getting into my office 1 hour or 90 mins before I usually would to get ahead or so I thought.
I've done the late evenings, with more or less no limit to what time I would finish, just ticking off more to do list items to get ahead or so I thought.

But here's the big thing.....

Last year It came at a cost.
When work was made the overriding priority, naturally other things in my personal life became a lower priority.
The standard I could bring to these other things became lower.
The time I could give to these other things was limited.
In terms of my fitness programme having built up a high standard of training over the years I went back into what I would call second gear, going to the gym late in the evening and too mentally and physically fatigued to give the session the real intensity I knew I could.
In terms of spending time with my family and friends it was a similar story, while still seeing them I could not showup at my best and be present with them for even a short time, in effect that time was recovery for me to switch off from a long days work.

I was burnt out, doing too much

This year looks a lot different for me.
While I'm still hugely ambitious to drive forward my business ventures.
I've started to understand that happiness for me isn't completely contained in the success of my business, its one important area but there are a lot more areas I want to give my time and energy to.
When you start giving your time to the things and people that really matter to you, you naturally become happier and more fulfilled.
And while I think sometimes we feel like we are doing all these things, the standard and quality we show up at can be below what we are capable of at our best.

When you build a house, you don't build it for the short term, you build it for the long term.
We need to take the same view for how we live our lives.
Yes absolutely be ambitious and strive for a great business or career but make sure your goal at all times is to be happy across everything else that matters to you.
Its the longer road but I believe its the most fulfilling one

If this resonates with you or someone you know please share my post.

Also I'm starting a masterclass soon for a limited number of people who are interested in striking that perfect balance between work, life and health.

Message me for more information

13/03/2024

Yesterday wasn't a good day for me!

My day started with a financial issue I had to action on a long term consultancy project I have been working on which would have a impact on the budgets laid out for this year.
Not what I had planned
Today I've an open mind on how I can make it work looking at the facts rather than my disappointment I experienced yesterday and I take the lesson that I've figured these challenges out before

Secondly in my car sales business I had a potential customer lined up to buy a car I have in stock.
This particular car has been slow moving and when you get interest in a slow moving car you act quick.
So deal agreed with the customer pending a deposit to follow the next morning.
I held off awaiting the deposit and after lunchtime he pulls out of the deal.
Again not what I had planned
Again my experience has taught me in this industry (or any industry) your just one phone call away from a sale so don't panic if the phone is quiet!

Thirdly I put the wheels in motion two weeks ago to get a document which would complete a importation process for another car I have in stock.
I was very sure the document would be accepted once I got it and I could close the loop on this task.
But it wasn't!
Again not what I had planned
But I implemented my plan B as soon as the document was rejected and I came in to the office this morning to see that it worked, so I think sometimes you get a bit of luck when you just try

But here's the thing...…

Things not going to plan in business and life is all part of the journey and the more capable you make yourself to deal with these curveballs the more progress you will make.
Its all about responding when things don't go to plan in a way which still gets you the solution you want, find your plan B or C if needed

08/01/2024

What makes a great coach / mentor?

Here are ten qualities I believe which answer that question.

1. They have your back, you know they are fully invested in supporting you.
2. They can see your vision, the big picture of what you are aiming for and keep you aligned to this.
3. They tell you what you need to hear, not what's easy to say.
4. They have the ability to challenge you and give you that push we all need at times, but also support you when you fall off track.
5. They have exceptional listening skills, they know when to let you get your thoughts out of your head to find your own solutions but also keep a mental note of everything that was said to support you later on.
6. They focus on your individual growth because they are aware that intelligence isn't enough to be successful, you need to develop attributes.
7. They have high standards, if you are the sum of the five most people you spend time with, then having a great coach with high standards will raise your game immediately.
8. They see you as both a business owner but also a person with a life outside of your work and they tailor their support and advice around maximizing your results professionally and personally.
9. They help you to find structure and a short term roadmap towards your immediate goals.
10. Like playing a game of chess, they support you to identify the key strategic moves which will make the biggest impact.

Does any of the above points resonate with you?
Comment below or reach out to me on the below link for a introduction call ⬇

https://calendly.com/stephenconroycoaching/introductioncall

08/01/2024

“𝐖𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰”

As we start our first full working week in 2024 I wanted to bring your attention to the above quote to reflect on and to ask yourself, what is it that you know you should be doing to make improvements but are not doing?

Naturally as human beings we will have a preference for doing what's comfortable and familiar, our brain wants to keep us safe, growth isn't its priority.

But think back of something you done in 2023 which stretched you outside your comfort zone, how much satisfaction and growth did you take from that?
I coach business owners every week to stretch outside their comfort zones.
The accountability and planning is the key for them and creating space for that weekly call so that they always have a mini goal to aim for.

Take the example of a day where you feel tired but you have already planned to go for a walk with a friend, you more than likely don't want to let them down and will still go for that walk, there is more chance you wouldn't go for that walk if it was just by yourself.

So start this year knowing you are capable of more than you think, you know what to do, you just have to find it within you to do what you know.

Need some help with this? Message me for more information ⬇

03/01/2024

Where would you be in 12 months time if you took that first step today?
Your ready and if you don't feel ready I know you will figure out how to climb the next steps along the way.

What does success look like for you in 2024?
What project could you get started on that would make a great impact?

01/01/2024

22/12/2023

Before I finish up for this year I want to say thank you for your support in 2023.

This year I've worked with some amazing entrepreneurs and while I hope I've played a small part in helping them along their business journeys, I've also focused on improving them as individuals.
When we set actions each week, we make promises to ourselves and when we follow through on these promises, we see progress and gain confidence to do even more.
There's up and downs throughout the year, sometimes things don't go to plan but the key thing is that we keep showing up each week.
Its uncomfortable at times when you stretch yourself to do something new but when you do and it becomes your new normal, you've raised the bar for what's possible going forward.

So thank you again for putting your trust me in to help you on your journey and now its time to reset, recharge and get ready to hit the ground running in 2024.

21/12/2023

Over the last few years I've taken great value from having a journal by my side to plan my best week and then breaking that down into what great days look like throughout the week.

I've found once the busyness starts on Monday morning having that structure of knowing what really is important for a great week has been a priceless support.

I've been amazed at the insights and ideas that come up when you take pen to paper and become intentional about asking yourself the big questions.

Below are some examples:
- What direction do I want to take my business?
- What tasks can I plan this week which will make most impact?
- Who do I need to connect with this week who can help me move forward?
- What can I plan this week which would be something I enjoy outside of work?

For a lot of entrepreneurs and business owners we can develop and become very good at planning out what a great week looks like for our business.

That has also been my experience over the last couple of years and that proactive approach means that even if you achieve 50-60% of what you plan you will be streets ahead of someone who doesn't plan.
Not planning means you are likely to be in reactive mode throughout your week.

This year I've tweaked my planning to bring in my personal life so that I can get some more balance and while trying to get my head around that a personal task should be weighted the same as a business task it has definitely made a great difference and added to my life.

Because what's a great business without a great life outside of it?

So if you want to get intentional about what really is important for you in 2024, get that pen and start writing

Below is a link to the journal I will be using next year, have a look it could be exactly what you need to start off 2024!

https://theheadplan.com/products/wellness-journal

If this resonates with you or someone you know comment below ⬇

03/11/2023

Is it too soon to talk about Christmas!?
Well from a business point of view we have 7 working weeks left.
Many of you will be now starting to think about your goals for 2024.
Rather than letting the year wind down, we still have a great opportunity in these 7 weeks to build a foundation for our goals in the new year.
The progress you could make in the next 7 weeks could allow you to really kick on then in January.

So what can you get the wheels turning on next week that will set you up for 2024?

Any questions click below to book a free introduction call

https://calendly.com/stephenconroycoaching/introductioncall

31/10/2023

Over the last few months I've seen the value of expanding my working week.
Last Saturday in particular I needed a day to do some focused work and I was amazed at how much I got done in a few hours.
I started asking myself why was it different on a Saturday?
I came to the conclusion it was the fact it was a calmer day - no calls, emails or messages to deal with so I could literally concentrate on one thing.
I've also had the same results before 9am on a workday, if you can get that 1 hour before everyone else usually starts, it could be enough time to do a high impact task.
Sundays are also a great day to spend just 30-40 minutes planning the week ahead.
And while I don't promote working too much over a normal working weeks hours, expanding your working week into Saturday and Sunday gives you them calm hours to do high value work which may not be possible for you in the Monday - Friday weekdays.
And it also gives you that flexibility during the week if you need time off for your personal life you can take it, knowing that you have those pockets of time at the weekend to still have a high impact week.

What does your working week look like?
What small changes could you make to expand your week that would improve your progress?

www.stephenconroy.ie