Imagine what your life would be like if you had the flexibility to work when you wanted to, rather than being stuck in a 9-5 business environment. How would it feel to get out of the rat race and have more time to enjoy more free time?

I've been coaching a lady for the past year who originally was the manager in a financial services practice. Mary had been with this business for several years and found that over time her energy and vitality had been drained out of her.

She would leave work at the end of each day, sometimes at 5.00 p.m., other days at 7.00 p.m. She was often exhausted from all the pressure of looking after a team of 15 people and also having to keep the owner of the business happy.

Mary found that at the end of each day all she wanted to do was go home and relax. She had spent all her energy at work and there was nothing left over for her personal life. Her health suffered as well as her relationships, both with her husband and her friends. She used to be a happy-go-lucky person and now she was snappy and miserable to be around.

Mary found that the environment she was working in was negative and sapped her energy. The culture was one of 'just get on and do the work'. There was no people development and rarely any professional development. The business owner thought it was enough that he supplied employment for his staff. He wasn't interested in investing any time or money into them. His attitude was "Why waste money? If we train them, they'll probably leave any way." What he didn't realise was he was creating an environment that ensured his people would do the barest minimum of work and any excuse to slacken off, they would take it... and they would more than likely leave anyway.

After all, he didn't care for them, why should they make an effort to help his business.

Anyhow Mary finally took the plunge and left to go into business for herself. Now this wasn't a quick decision. It took time for her to work out what she enjoyed doing and also if it was going to provide her with the income she desired. She also needed to ensure that she could have time for a life. Just because someone decides to go into business for themselves, doesn't mean they'll be able to enjoy both. That's very evident with many small business owners.

Also for the business to be successful Mary had to learn how to have the mind-set of a successful business owner and not that of an employee. She needed to learn new skills and some of those skills included how to be organised and manage her time effectively, setting up systems and sales and marketing.

This was a huge step from being an employee all her working life and then going out on her own. Coaching had given her the confidence that she could get out of her situation and inject passion into her life.

We were recently reflecting on how far she had progressed over the past year. She's now driven, motivated, and has heaps of energy to learn and grow. She has now become a participant in her life, rather than a spectator.

Mary is so much happier. She stays away from negative influences which drain her and now has a passion for life. You can hear it in her voice.

When she was employed she was so lethargic and took forever to get things done. Now she's a productivity powerhouse, nothing can stop her.

How's your working environment? Is it positive and uplifting or negative and draining? It's never too late to change. You probably spend most of your waking hours at work, so if you're not enjoying it, then do something to change it. Your life is in your hands... if you want to keep it that way then take action.

Have a great week

Lorraine Pirihi
Australia 's No. 1 Productivity Coach