Plan for Success: Part Two – The Courage to Create the Life You Want
- demi243
- Nov 13
- 4 min read
Every successful bookkeeper I know has one thing in common — they plan. Not just once, but constantly. Because success doesn’t happen by accident. It’s intentional. It starts with clarity about where you are now, where you want to be, and the courage to take the first step.
In this follow-up to Plan for Success Part One, I want to take you deeper into the real reason so many of us stay stuck in busy-but-broken cycles, and how a few simple shifts in mindset and action can completely change your direction.
Why We Stay “Booked But Broken”
Years ago, a dear friend came to me completely overwhelmed. She was an incredible businesswoman with a full roster of clients and a great reputation ,yet she was exhausted, underpaid, and constantly stressed.
She was living what I call the booked-but-broken life: full of activity but lacking fulfilment.
We sat together on my sofa, and after she shared everything she was struggling with, I asked her one simple question:
“What do you want?”
She went silent. Then she said, “I don’t know.” And that’s when I realised , most of us are running so fast, trying to fix everything, that we forget to decide where we’re actually heading.
If you don’t know where you want to go, how will you know when you get there?
The Power of Reflection
Before diving into systems, marketing, or pricing, we have to pause and reflect. Successful people do this regularly. They check in on their goals, their energy, their direction.
So here’s your first step: stop doing and start thinking.
Take a quiet moment to ask yourself:
What’s working for me right now?
What’s not?
What do I truly want more of — time, profit, peace of mind?
What am I missing that I used to love?
You don’t need a complicated business plan. You need clarity. I often journal or use ChatGPT to “brain dump” my thoughts. Sometimes I write, sometimes I talk into my phone while driving. The goal is simple: get everything out of your head and onto paper (or screen) so you can see it clearly.
When you create space to reflect, you reconnect with your purpose — and that purpose fuels progress.
Designing Your Perfect Day
Once you know where you stand, it’s time to imagine your ideal week.
Ask yourself:
How many hours do I really want to work?
When do I feel most productive?
What routines help me feel balanced — physically, mentally, and spiritually?
For me, I love going to the gym. It grounds me. I also cook homemade meals every evening — that’s part of my version of a perfect day. Yours might include yoga, morning walks, or more time with your kids.
This isn’t fluff. This is the foundation of sustainable success.
When you design your business around your ideal life — not the other way around — everything changes. You stop being a slave to your to-do list and start living with intention.
The Now–Future Analysis
Here’s a simple exercise I do every year, and I recommend it to every bookkeeper I coach:
Write down your “Now.” What’s happening today — how do you feel about your workload, income, and balance?
Describe your “Future.” What does “done” look like for you? Picture your life when everything feels right.
List the gaps. What’s missing between the two?
Identify one action you can take this week to close the gap.
Maybe you need to refine your pricing, build systems, or learn how to delegate. Maybe you need to say no more often. Whatever it is, write it down. Clarity is power.
Inside The Strategic Bookkeeper Transformation Program, I teach a deeper version of this process — combining the Five Big Keys: Team, Education, Assets, Implementation, and Support. These are the same keys that drive my own success and the success of hundreds of bookkeepers worldwide.
Education: Your Shortcut to Progress
When you feel stuck, don’t reinvent the wheel — learn from someone who’s been there.
I’m constantly learning from mentors, reading books, and listening to podcasts. It’s what keeps me evolving as both a business owner and a person.
If you’re growing your bookkeeping practice, everything you need is already available through my podcast episodes, my books, and my free online community. Start with these:
Episodes 74–77 – Planning and pricing for success.
Episode 125 – Lynda Hall’s $200K in her first year.
Episode 137 – Marianne Davies’ transformation from booked-but-broken to thriving.
Whether you’re just starting out, scaling up, or fixing a busy practice, the answers are there.
Don’t try to do it alone. Use education as your leverage.
The Creator vs. the Victim
I want to leave you with a truth that changed my life:
“You are not the victim of your circumstances — you are the creator of your life.”
When things get hard, it’s easy to think life happens to us. But the truth is, we have more power than we realise.
Every decision we make, every thought we choose, shapes our reality.
For me, the secret ingredient has been courage.
Courage to back myself when others doubted me. Courage to make big financial decisions — like building wealth through property. Courage to lead, to teach, and to live authentically.
Courage is what turns intention into action. It’s what separates dreamers from doers.
So as you plan for success, remember: courage is your first domino. Once you find it, everything else — honesty, authenticity, kindness — follows naturally.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need a perfect plan. You need a plan that feels true to you.
As you head into 2026, give yourself permission to slow down, reflect, and re-architect your business and life. The best version of your practice — and yourself — starts with clarity and courage.
Because success isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what matters.
So take out your notebook, your phone, or your journal and ask
“What do I really want?”
Then write it down. That’s where transformation begins.
You can connect with me and other bookkeepers inside our free Facebook group, where we share tools and strategies.
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