Planning for Your Future

Planning Your Future

One of the most important steps you can take toward success is to make a plan. You must know where you’re going to determine how to get there. You must have a written plan so you can modify what’s working and what’s not and to be able to see the difference.

Get started today. Write out your goals for the next 1, 3, 5 and 10 years. Doesn’t have to be fancy. Just dream. No, you won’t know the “right” answers because you don’t have a crystal ball. But dream. In 1 year do you still want to be at your same job? In your same home? With the same person? In 3 years? In 5?  When do you decide that what you’re doing now is/isn’t working?

What year do you think you can be financially free? When I did our first outline, I put 15 years = retired. If you don’t write down what you see today, you won’t know (1) if you hit it accurately (2) if you’re able to move faster than you anticipate (3) if you’re not moving fast enough and need to make adjustments.

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Goal Setting

focus on success

If you want success in any area of your life, I can’t stress strongly enough the need for setting and writing down your goals. Here we are at the perfect time of year to do that.

The first time we wrote our goals, we did 1 year, 3 year, 5 year and 10 year goals. What really blew our minds was that we accomplished our 1 year, 3 year and 5 year goals all in the first 6 months!

A couple of things we learned were (1) our goals weren’t big enough and (2) we were working too darn hard!  Now we set annual goals and know pretty well what we can accomplish in 12 months, but the goal setting keeps us on track and keeps our “reason” always in front of us.

I’ve already written Goal Setting, Why you Need and How To, so check that out.  In addition, I have a wonderful CD by Tony Robbins on goal setting and I want to share some of his great tips with you.

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Goals

Future

As a follow-up to Focus on Results Rather than To-Dos, we’ll focus on goals, your results.

If you don’t have a target, you’ll never hit it. Think about and write out your goals. There’s power and momentum that happens in the act of writing. Written goals become materialized, even if just on paper, and your focus becomes clear and directed.

Goals must be measurable to keep you on track and on time. Once you have your vision, it’s easy to break the process into manageable steps.

Think about what you truly want for your life. Write your goals for the next one, three, five and ten years. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Just dream. You won’t know the “right” answers because you don’t have a crystal ball, but dream.

At this time next year, do you want to be:

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Focus on Results, Rather than To-Dos

finish line

Following up on “Are You Able to Focus?“, today we’ll look at transforming busyness into action steps that actually move us toward an intentional, fulfilling goal.

First, know your goals! What is it you want to accomplish?

Determine and write out your dreams and desires. This is a fantastic habit. Once you know your long range goals, you can break them into bite-sized, achievable actions. If you don’t have a target, you’ll never hit it.

It’s important to begin with the end in mind and be totally clear about the results you seek. When you focus on what you want – the results – you begin to design your daily life around making progress toward achieving it.

If you’re not satisfied with the results of your life so far, perhaps you’re asking the wrong question.

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Goal Setting – Why you Need to and How

Goals

Why do you need to set goals?

Because if you don’t have a destination, you can count on never getting there.

To begin with, look at where you are, physically, financially, in your job, your marriage, your family, whatever is a priority for you. Really think about it and write it down.

Why write it down? Trust me, it gives it so much more power. When you think of something, that’s it. It’s a thought, an idea, a wish even. But, when you write it down it becomes much more concrete. You can see it and touch it. It exists. Your brain gets it.

So, write down where you are now. Next, decide, really decide, where you want to be. If you live in a 3 bedroom and you want a 4 bedroom, write it down. If you’re single and you want to be married, write it down. If you’re married and you want more passion in your relationship, write it down. If you make $40,000 a year and you want to make $60,000, write it down.

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Making 2010 count.

Feet Washing

It’s a new year and we’re thinking about how we can make this year special.  How we can make it important.  What we can do this year that really matters.

I asked permission to include the following letter from a very close friend of mine.  She spent the 2009 Christmas holidays volunteering at an orphanage in the Dominican Republic; 10 days helping to tear down and rebuild a building – nights playing, teaching and giving to the boys who live at the orphanage.  Her letter is an inspiration to me and I pray that it will also inspire you as you set your goals to make a difference in 2010.

“We’re going to have a spa for the boys!” What does that mean, exactly? Spa – as in manis and pedis? Seriously? You want us to wash their feet? With our hands? Have you seen their feet?

Christmas Eve 2009 was going to be as special for these boys as the impressive Orphanage Outreach team could make it. With a group of dedicated, albeit skeptical, volunteers – anything was possible.

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Goals – Have You Written Yours Down?

Goals

Did you write down your goals last January? Have you ever?

If so, then what?  Did you re-think them, review them, update them? 

If you haven’t charted a path for yourself, it’s very possible that you’re not moving forward. You’re moving everyday, so why not choose a direction?

No matter what, in order to succeed you need to set goals. 

First, make sure your goal is something you really want.  You may think you would like a yacht but would you really? A yacht can be “a hole in the water that you pour money into.” What is something important that really moves you?

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Hope is NOT a Strategy

Hope

That’s right, hope is not a strategy. You must prepare.

What is it that you want to do? What do you want to accomplish? What are your goals?

Write them down. Otherwise, they’re not real and you won’t remember or accomplish them.

Write them down. You can change modify and edit them, but write them down.

Create a business plan. If you’ve never done a real business plan, buy a template. It will ask you things that you won’t think to ask yourself. It will give you direction and, as you’re moving, keep you on course.

You can do something basic but I suggest you dig deeper and buy a plan. They’re available many places. I use Business Plan Pro. Let me know if you find a better template.

Remember, Hope is Not a Strategy!