Ever feel like you, or your business, are drifting along on a current, just reacting to whatever is thrown at you? You feel like you’re continuously working hard at something, yet still you somehow seem to get nowhere day after day, year after year.
We all know the saying, “Fail to plan, plan to fail”, but how many of us actually take the time to take stock of our current situation, set some goals and formulate a plan to make them happen?
The beginning of the year is the perfect time to do that, and before we’re all bemoaning how we can’t believe it’s already February, take the time to set some changes in motion. Don’t let another year, in fact another day go by, drifting on that current. I guarantee, you’ll feel better for it!
1. Start off by thinking about the “big picture” – what do you want your life / business to look like? Personally, think about aspects such as Relationships, Family, Health, Finances, Career, Personal Development, Spiritual Wellbeing. In business the issues might be Cashflow, IT, Staff, Customer Service, Marketing.
2. Next, break your big picture ideas down into bite-sized pieces. For instance, your “Health” goals might be to lose weight and get fit. Now, if you’re overweight, this in itself could seem like an insurmountable task, and the more you think about it, the more overwhelmed you’re likely to get and ultimately end up in a packet of Tim-Tams. But break each step down into more manageable, achievable tasks, and the achievement you feel from ticking each task off the list will spur you on to the next one.
3. Dissected, your actions for “losing weight and getting fit” might include 1) walk for 30 minutes every day, 2) pack lunch instead of hitting the drive-through, 3) get out in nature at least one day on the week-end (rather than sleighing yet another zombie). Take it a step further by creating a daily to-do list – go grocery shopping, create an exercise playlist for my iPod, pump bicycle tyres. The forward momentum you create from small accomplishments will propel you towards your goal.
4. Be realistic. There are going to be times when life gets in the way and the no amount of planning could have foreseen your biggest client walking out on you, or your file server crashing. Accept that things may not always go according to plan, and be flexible enough to roll with the punches. A sense of humour is always handy.
5. And finally, track your progress. Set some time aside to go through your daily, weekly, monthly, annual goals and to-do lists to make sure you’re on track. If you want something badly enough, it’s worth the time investment it’ll take to make it happen. If it isn’t you may need to start from scratch and rethink your goals – perhaps that uni degree or toned stomach isn’t really as important to you as you first though it was? Was it really what you wanted, or just what you thought would make your Dad proud?
It’s your money. It’s your health. It’s your business. It’s your life. The difference between a dream and a goal is a plan. You know what you need to do – go to it!
