Start Planning 2014

What?  But 2013 isn’t over.   That’s exactly my point.  Planning for the next year should always be on your list of goals for the last month of this year.  Don’t wait until New Year’s Day, because that is a holiday and you know your goal setting just isn’t going to happen that day.  The next day is the 2nd and you are already into the new year.

Start planning your goals for 2014 in December of 2013.  I have already started laying out the things I want to accomplish this next year.  Our business coach Dani Johnson always says “Nothing becomes dynamic until it becomes specific.”

It’s wonderful to have goals.  But if you don’t break those goals down into a strategic plan with very specific steps on how to accomplish them, they will never become a reality.  If you aim for nothing, you will surely hit it.

Do you want 2014 to be better than 2013?  Do you want to have some major changes in your life this next year?  Do you have some dreams you want fulfilled?  The only way for these things to take place is to have a detailed plan of action to make them happen.

Remember a few weeks ago I talked about if you change nothing, nothing changes?  The main point of that message was to take action.  So let’s get started.

First – write down 5 – 10 goals that you want to accomplish next year (you may have more, or you can add more later).  Leave some space after each one.  Next – write down the date of when you want to achieve that.  Try to be realistic.  If you want to lose 50 pounds, don’t put down February 1st.  Losing 10 pounds a month is a realistic goal, so maybe write down May 30th.

Next – get detailed about how you will achieve your goal.  In our weight loss example, you could start by eliminating sugar from your diet (no ice cream, soda pop, candy, cookies, etc.).  Or you could start walking, jogging or exercising.  You could also remove all processed foods or “fast food” from your diet.  Each of these is a single detailed step.  You don’t have to do all of them at once, but you could do it one step at a time and remain consistent.  You could also take massive action and achieve massive results sooner, the choice is yours.  The main thing is to stick with your plan.

Finally – track your progress.  This is crucial.  Write down the little steps that you have taken and what the results were.  Soon those little steps will turn into big accomplishments.  If you write down your progress, it will help encourage you to keep going.

Whether your goals are weight loss, being debt free, having a successful business, healthy relationships or taking a cruise, they can all be accomplished by writing them down, making a detailed plan to get there and just taking one consistent step at a time.   Go for it!