Real Life story by Johan
Swart (March 2022)
Meet James.
Back in 2011 he did a full sailing
course and obtained a master diver certification, but he never worked in the yachting
industry. He decided to study Hospitality Management first. He obtained a BTech
degree in Hospitality Management. While he was studying, the wine industry got his
attention. He started studying wine and received his WSET level 3 certification
in wine. He then started to work in the cruise line industry and progressed
from bar waiter to Head Sommelier.
When James joined the cruise line industry, he was one of
my coaching clients. I helped him structure his aggressive financial goal of
having four “buy-to-let” investment properties before he exits the cruise line
industry. When our coaching program ended after six months, he had successfully
bought his first “buy-to-let” investment property.
But in March 2020 just after he
finished a 4-month rotation onboard a cruise line and started with his 2-month
leave period, disaster struck. The Covid 19 pandemic made its entrance into the
world and the cruise line industry basically stop sailing. James was now
without a job and his dreams in pieces.
James’s
problem
As a mentor and coach, I had
previously helped James with his aggressive financial goals and the process of
buying “buy-to-let” property as a passive investment. So, James approached me
again.
After 6 months at home without a job, waiting
for the Covid19 restrictions to be lifted, and hoping for the cruise lines to
start sailing again, his emergency money kitty was now depleted, and he was
afraid that he would have to sell his two “buy-to-let” properties. He had
bought his second “buy-to-let” property just before the Covid19 pandemic
started.
He desperately needed a new job. He
was unhappy about the situation that the Covid19 pandemic has left him with. He
was also frustrated and depressed with his situation and stressed that he may
lose his hard-earned “buy-to-let” properties. He was close to a complete
“burn-out” situation.
James needed a “Quick Fix” urgently.
My proposal to James
I proposed to James that he can use this simple “6 step framework for achieving your goals”
recipe to achieve his new goals. He had to complete the steps as honestly
as possible and take immediate action.
Description
of the “6 step framework for achieving your goals”.
The 6 framework steps:
2. Where do I want to be?
3. How can I get there?
4. Create a plan to get there.
5. Implement the plan.
6. Monitor your progress and adjust, if
necessary.
How to implement these steps.
· Define the starting point for your goal.
· What got you into your current
situation?
· What am I doing wrong?
Step 2: Where do
I want to be?
·
Create
a vision of where you want to be sometime in the future.
·
Be
specific on exactly what you want to achieve.
·
Write
down a short sentence describing your goal in clear terms.
Step 3. How can I get there?
· Explore options that you can implement
immediately. Come up with at
least 3 viable options.
· Choose the best way forward by selecting the best options.
Step 4. Plan to get there.
· Create a solid plan to achieve your
goal within the stated time frame.
· Write the plan down and put it up where you will be reminded and
challenged constantly. Having it in your mind only is
not good enough.
Step 5: Implement the plan.
· Take the necessary ACTIONS and start
to implement your plan immediately.
· ACTIONS can happen simultaneously (in
parallel) or after one another (in series), if one action is dependent on the
completion of another one.
Step 6: Monitor your
progress and adjust, if necessary.
· Monitor your progress on a daily (or weekly) basis.
· Be honest with your progress
measurements.
· If blockages and/or obstacles occur, adjust your
plan accordingly as quickly as possible.
· Your plans can be changed as you go along, but your end goals remain fixed.
Here is James´ written documentation of how he implemented the 6
step Framework:
Step 1: Where am I now?
· I have lost my cruise line job, due to the Covid19
pandemic.
· My savings kitty has run out.
· I am afraid that I may have to sell my two “buy-to-let”
investment properties.
· I am stressed out and frustrated for
not having a job.
· Due to stress, I have stopped exercising and now I
am not fit anymore, and I have gained weight.
 |
| James was stressed out, unhappy, depressed, and close to a “Burn-out |
Step 2: Where do I want to be?
·
“I want
a job”. (James’s title for his career goal)
a. I desperately need a new job.
b. My new job must have at least the same
salary or better than my previous job as head sommelier.
· “I want to be fit again”. (James’s title for his health goal)
a. I want to lose 10 kg in weight
b. I must be able to run a half marathon
· “Four houses” (James’s title for his financial goal statement)
a. I want to continue with my financial investment
strategy to own 4 “buy-to-let” properties before I exit the industry
 |
| “I want a new job and be fit again” |
Step 3: How do I get
there? (My options/actions in order of priority)
·
“I want
a job” – career goal
a. Find a job as an estate agent.
b. Investigate a career change from the
cruise line industry to the yachting industry because it does not seem that the
cruise lines will sail again soon.
· “I want to be fit again” – health goal
a. Start again to exercise at a gym.
b. Start with running exercises.
c. Follow a strict diet to lose weight.
· “Four houses” – financial goal
a. Get a personal loan to pay for my living expenses until I get a new job.
Step 4: My plan to get there.
· I created a simple Microsoft
Excell file to document my planned actions.
· The plan contained a description of
each action, a start and end date for each action, and a status column.
Step 5: Implement my plan.
·
I will start
immediately with some actions towards achieving my goals.
·
At least once a
week, I will check my plan and schedule activities and actions towards meeting
my stated goals.
Step 6: Monitor my progress and adjust, if necessary.
· I will monitor my
progress at least once a week
· Whenever needed I will adjust my actions to stay on track towards my goals. My plan is a living document.
James did a good job to document his goals and plan to implement them, but the proof of the pudding is in the actions. So, did he achieve his goals?
James continued to meet me monthly for coaching
sessions. I kept him accountable to perform his actions to achieve his goals
and supported and encouraged him when things got difficult.
After 8 months in May 2021, here is an update of
what James had achieved.
“I want a job” – career goal
·
James
started to work as an estate agent for a real estate company, but quickly
realized that he could not achieve his salary goals, working as a real estate agent.
·
His
salary as a real estate agent was based on a commission of the sales and due to
the Covid19 pandemic, the housing market was slow.
·
With
the encouragement of his sister, who works as a stew on board a luxury yacht he
completed his STCW training courses.
·
His
sister also helped him to update his CV to the “yachting standard” and introduced
him to recruiters in the industry.
· In March 2020 he went to Europe, and he landed a permanent job as a deckhand/diver on board a luxury yacht based in the south of France, starting in May 2021.
“I want to be fit again” – health
goal
·
James
followed a strict diet and lost 10 kg after 6 months.
·
James started
exercising at a gym, but due to cost reasons he cancelled his gym subscription
and focussed on running instead.
·
He
started with very short distances and then increased the distance every week.
“Four houses” – financial goal
·
James
got a personal loan from his father to cover his expenses until he secured a
yachting job.
· The projected yearly income that he would receive as a full-time deckhand/diver in the yachting industry was more than his yearly income as head sommelier in the cruise line industry, mainly because on the cruise lines he worked on the basis of 4 months onboard and then 2 months onshore (without pay).
James was
in control of his situation again
What is James’s
situation now?
In March 2022, a
year after our last coaching session I contacted James again to find out how he
was doing now. James was in Cape Town enjoying a month of paid vacation after
10 months on board his yacht in the south of France. James informed me very
proudly that he had paid off his personal loan and that he has just bought his
third “buy-to-let” investment property. The previous week he also achieved his
health goal of running a half marathon. He celebrated his achievements by
buying himself the latest Samsung mobile phone.
I congratulated him
on a job well done.
So here is the end of this amazing story as described in James’s own words:
“Implementing
the ‘6 step framework for achieving your goals ‘, installed a process in my
mind that prepared me to adapt my career plans because of the effect that the COVID19
pandemic lockdown situation had on the cruise line industry. I can now proudly
say that I have a career again, but this time in the yachting industry. I have
achieved my health goals and I am making good progress in expanding my
“buy-to-let” investment property portfolio.
I
highly recommend the simple 6 step framework for solving any career-related,
financial, or lifestyle problems
that you may have. The coaching process helped me to focus and to overcome my
stressed, frustrated, and depressed state of mind.
I am once again a
happy person.
James
Deckhand/Diver
March
2022”
Yes, I did it!!!
Contact me via email for more information about my coaching and mentoring programs
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