Defining a budget for a project

Hello AAC-coaches 😊,
I´ve been doing some thought work on an aspect of my business and am surprised and somewhat shocked on unconscious thoughts, how I used to make decisions that clients make mean so many things about me personally. Some of it is very personal and very negative, even harmful.
Wow, I really don´t want to keep having these unhelpful thoughts about such an important area of my life. Looking forward to getting coaching on this.

UM
C: An existing client has asked me to provide a budget plan for an upcoming project.
T: The budget that truly works for me will be too expensive to them and they will go somewhere else, resulting in me not getting the project. They don´t like me and don´t appreciate my contribution. I have to overdeliver to be included.
F: fear
S: tightness in my shoulders and solar plexus, tightness and pressure in my head, sinking feeling in my stomach
A: I avoid moving the project forward because the next step is the budget, procrastinating this task.
R: I don´t get a go from my client on a budget that works for me.

IM:
C: An existing client has asked me to provide a budget plan for an upcoming project.
T: It is normal that a company has to plan its budget. I will provide a budget plan that works for me and will subdivide it in realistic task-groups and milestones. Thereby, the client can decide what is possible for them and whatever they agree on will work for me since it is clearly defined. Having a clear agreement upfront is great for me because this helps me plan ahead and organize myself upfront.
F: This feeling of getting something done that I don´t exactly love but know is a necessary and unavoidable part of an adult´s life.
S: [here, I struggle to name a sensation, it´s quite neutral]
A: I look at what we previously did and how many resources were necessary given their structure and personnel. Based on that and the milestones ahead I make a reasonable plan and add a buffer. Apart from the planned tasks I add an item in the budget plan for extra tasks that might come up throughout this year, because this is something that used to come up with this client in the past. Some aspects are impossible for me to pin down now because of much uncertainty that cannot be resolved now by anyone involved. These, I highlight as very uncertain and subject to future changes according to what will be going on in that part of the process.
R: Both me and the client can plan ahead and have a clear framework for our collaboration.

 

 

Answer:

 

 

Try this IM model on and let us know how it feels to read it

C: An existing client has asked me to provide a budget plan for an upcoming project.
T: It’s possible for me to provide a budget and a plan that works for me.
F: Accountable
S: [here, I struggle to name a sensation, it´s quite neutral]
A: I look at what we previously did and how many resources were necessary given their structure and personnel. Based on that and the milestones ahead I make a reasonable plan and add a buffer. Apart from the planned tasks I add an item in the budget plan for extra tasks that might come up throughout this year, because this is something that used to come up with this client in the past. Some aspects are impossible for me to pin down now because of much uncertainty that cannot be resolved now by anyone involved. These, I highlight as very uncertain and subject to future changes according to what will be going on in that part of the process. I create a clear agreement and organize upfront. 
What don’t you do in this circumstance?
R: I create a detailed budget proposal, and make it possible for me and the client to plan ahead and have a clear framework for our potential collaboration.

Notice how you keep everyone but you out of the R line (very important since we can’t control others!). Also, notice how simple the T is. Try to keep this line to one statement – it doesn’t necessarily matter which one, because you can do as many models as you want (this applies to your UM as well).

When we begin doing models, it’s so incredible how much they can open us up to possibility, and it’s easy to forget that we still need to deal with the UM to be able to live into the IM sometimes (read: a lot of the time). Is this the kind of UM that you can say, “I don’t need that thought anymore,” about? Or do you need to do some more investigation about your T line? What comes up for you when you consider this?