Posts Tagged ‘plan’

The anniversary of the moon landing reminded me of the anniversary of a life-changing journey I created.  Twenty five years ago this summer I was riding my bicycle solo across the United States.  I was in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks on 7/24/84 sharing two lane roads with gigantic motor homes – worse than the east coast traffic!

One of my big aha’s this week as I remembered this bike trip with a coach, is that I had a plan for the trip.  It was simple.  Every day I got up and pedaled at least 60 miles down a very clear path – the road – unless it was dangerously hot or pouring down rain.  The road took me east every day.  Not north, south or west.  East towards Boston and the Atlantic Ocean.  As long as I followed the road, and kept safety precautions, I would get to Boston, to Deborah D.s house – my best friend from high school.  Now, the problem with me in my business is that I keep changing plans.  I change marketing plans, I change my goals, I change niches. I doubt my vision.  I worry about money.  I take exits off the road to visit giant balls of string and two headed snakes.  I wander north and south and wonder why I’m no closer to Boston.

The road and my goal focused all of my energies. It kept me true and on task.  Sure, I never saw the two headed snake, but I reached Boston, I accomplished my goal.

Action

Take stock of your plan. What is it to honor it?  What are your two-headed snake detours?  What are three changes you’ll make to your plan or how you honor it?  I invite you to respond in the comments.  Thank you for the courage to invent yourself everyday into your greatness.

Do you realize you can declare that you have a clean slate at the beginning of the second half of the year?  I just worked on my 3rd quarter plan on  Eric Lofholm’s  sales protege call.  We’re at the beginning of the quarter.  It’s time to start fresh with the second half of the year. You may have done everything in your plan, or you may have veered off most of the time.   Give yourself permission to start with a clean slate.  Complete and let go of what you did or did not do up till now.  No amount of thinking, regretting, celebrating or sadness will make the future any better.  Just shake it like a tree, get all the apples out of it that you can to take with you into the future.  Those apples are the gifts of learning from the past six months.
Complete the past 6 months.  Use a ritual, declaration, celebration dinner, or whatever it takes.  Then breathe and let yourself become aware of what wants to be created next.

The next step is to assess where you are and picture where you want to be at the end of the time frame.  Do you want to be joyfully employed? Making another $10,000 or $100,000? Three sizes smaller?  Then work backwards. Who do you have to be to achieve those goals? What will you learn?  What results will you produce in July, Aug and September?  Each week? What will motivate you?  How will you handle breakdowns this time?  How will you keep your goals fresh in your mind?

Finally, make a plan.   Make it as detailed or general as you need to be successful.  For me, great detail just makes me crazy.  I like broad brush strokes.  For others, details are it.   The plan isn’t over until it’s on your calendar.

“Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion”. Thomas Hardy

Leave a comment – Did you declare a clean slate?  What is your planning process?