Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Paty Johnston. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Paty, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the toughest things about progressing in your career is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

I was at a job that I didn’t like and every single week I thought about quitting. One day I was courageous enough and decided to leave that job and open up my own business. It was the most unlikely business that I could be in a mechanic shop. I opened it off with $2000, and they were all of the savings that I had in my life. I used $1000 to pay for the first month’s rent and the other $1000 to buy a brand new computer. As soon as I was ready to open I saw on the new something that I was not familiar with brackets I am from Colombia bracket there was a hurricane coming I thought that wouldn’t be that bad the reality is I couldn’t open my business and had to be at home for four whole days I was really upset because I really needed money and clients to survive and as soon as we were able to open I went back just to realize that somebody had broken into the office and had stolen the only valuable thing I had in the office: the computer I couldn’t believe it! I had to borrow $300 just to fix the window and buy that something to eat for the week and then I was finally ready again to open it up and then realize there was a second hurricane coming it took a few days again to get ready and to open at last but then a third hurricane was coming. I couldn’t believe it. It happened that in 2004 there were three major hurricanes that came through Florida I thought about quitting every single time a hurricane was coming because I thought he was not meant to me. I finally was able to open it and it was a great success! After just 18 months I was able to sell my business for $500,000. I couldn’t believe it. Can you imagine if I had quit at the first hurricane when my computer was stolen? or on the second hurricane? or on the third one? I would have lost on the great opportunity of having my own business. So next time you think about quitting, know that your breakthrough might be just around the corner. The most difficult situations in my life have actually allowed me to be a coach today. I now have the privilege of showing others how to overcome difficulties, stop procrastinating, and take action so that they can be who they need to be, and reach everything they can actually reach and fulfill their full potential.

Paty, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was born in Colombia South America. I graduated with a bachelor’s business degree and had a good job that I thought I was going to have forever. Things changed quickly though when the situation in Colombia became very dangerous and I was at a restaurant when a car bomb exploded. I was thankfully able to move then to the US to escape the situation there and to study. I came with nothing. I was a single mom of my three-year-old son, I had no money when I got here. I was studying and working a part-time job where I was making $300 a month. However, after I graduated and got a job in a beautiful city called Tampa and I just fell in love with it. In June of 2004, I decided to open my own business and invested everything I had (US$2000) in the business. It took me months to be able to really start it, as every time I was about to open the doors, a hurricane would hit us and I just couldn’t. It was disheartening. We had in the area during that same year four major hurricanes and more than once I thought about quitting because it seemed like all of the circumstances were against me and my business. But I didn’t. I didn’t quit and by December 2005 my Business was worth more than $500,000! I am very glad I didn’t quit and that I continued, in spite of the negative circumstances. I then became a Real Estate Agent and in spite of everyone else saying that it was difficult because there were 44,000 realtors in the area, I was able to be one of the top 10 agents by year one. I am now a Leadership Coach Trainer and Speaker with The John Maxwell Team and have the privilege and the honor to share with others the many things I’ve learned through my ups and downs, to set goals and create strategies to fulfill them, to keep them accountable and to remind them not to quit. Even if it looks too hard. I have learned that procrastination is the biggest enemy of success, and I have created a virtual course WITH coaching, called: “How to Stop Procrastinating in 30 days”. I teach individuals how to stop procrastinating so that they can actually do the things that they know they are supposed to be doing so that they can reach their goals and feel empowered and good about themselves.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

My entire life has been a story of pivoting. I have had many “failures” followed by successes, followed by difficulties followed by successes again. The unexpected has been a constant in my life, but I have learned that mistakes are just lessons and they have been key to my success. One of my favorite quotes says “Every opportunity has difficulties and every difficulty has opportunities”. So after many years, I became what I always wanted to do: helping people. And I became a coach. A leadership coach and I had the privilege and the pleasure of coaching people and teams in different companies to achieve their goals. In March 2020 however, when COVID hit, all of my business halted as I couldn’t go and meet face-to-face or have group meetings anymore. Basically, my business stopped altogether in one day. It could had been the worst that could have happened. However, the way I saw it is, that I had both time and knowledge and I had been wanting to create an online program for me to be able to reach and help more people not only locally but from all around the world, and that’s what I did. I created my program called “How To Stop Procrastinating in 30 Days” and I’m now able to help others while I travel all around the world. Working, traveling, and helping others at the same time! It is truly a blessing. “Every opportunity has difficulties and every difficulty has opportunities”

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

It took me a long time to get there, but I discovered what became my superpower. Being genuine, being me, and being transparent about who I am and my journey. I was a disaster when I was growing up. I did really well at school but I used to forget my homework almost daily, and my room looked as if a tornado had just passed by! I was late everywhere I went, and I truly felt that there was something wrong with me. I knew exactly what to do, but I was not doing it. I grew up to realize that I have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), and also mild dyslexia. I decided to study psychology, just to be able to fix myself, and I was able to create a system that help me take action! But for the longest time, I was ashamed of my journey and I tried to pretend that my life was perfect. I realized when I started coaching others, that they had a lot of the same struggles that I had, so I decided to be transparent and start sharing my past difficulties and the system that I had created so that I could help others become the best they could be. I discovered that my transparency created not only awareness but trust. So my style as a coach is very unique because it’s very me. And it works. . And I’m not ashamed of it anymore. I’m actually proud that I can teach others how to find the best version of themselves and to be proud of who they are in their own perfect (or imperfect) way :)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://stopprocrastinatingtoday.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paty.johnston/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/howtostopprocrastinatingin30days
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patyjohnstoncoach/