Success Strategy: Develop an Action Plan

Creating goals is not enough. It is also necessary to create action plans. Action plans are like road maps. They get us from where we are to where we want to be. In addition, they get us there in the best possible way.

Developing action plans often requires going backward almost as much as forward! For example, in developing an action plan for going to Ireland, I knew we had to save money. To determine how much money, I needed to know what we wanted to do and how much things like airfare, lodging, and meals cost. I decided rather than doing all the research myself (as I usually do) I would enlist the help of a travel agent. That meant that I had to add researching travel agents to the action plan! Once I had a travel agent, then it was researching where we wanted to go, what we wanted to do, and what options we had for flights, lodging, etc.

Another part of the action plan was arranging vacation time. That piece had to be completed before we could finalize flights or lodging.

Eventually, it all came together. We had a wonderful vacation. Largely it was because of the detailed action plan.

There are a couple things to remember about action plans. They do not have to be either great works of art or fantastic scientific studies! Use whatever works for you! I like lists. I scribble down what I need to do, cross off what I accomplish, and add as needed. If I cannot read it anymore, I rewrite it. (Sometimes I use the computer, but I still generally like pen and paper the best.) I have a friend who likes to use index cards. Whatever works for you is the right system for you!

The other thing to remember about action plans is that they are always works in progress! As you move along, you will find that you want to change things. Maybe your goal is to lose two pounds per week and part of your action plan is to exercise five times per week. If you find that is not possible, change it! Maybe you exercise three times per week and eliminate after dinner snacking. It is the same goal, just a different plan to accomplish it.

If goals achieved themselves, we would all have everything we want! They do not. We have to develop a plan to make them happen.

We also have to implement the plan! That is for next time!

Success Strategy: Create Realistic Goals

Goals need to be attainable. That means they need to be realistic. If they are not realistic, you will not attain them and this leads to frustration and discouragement.

My husband and I would like to return to Ireland and focus on playing golf. (This time we focused on hiking in all six of Ireland’s national parks.) I think it would be a great idea to spend one week in Ireland and one week in Scotland. If we were to set a goal to do this in five years, that would be realistic for us. We could save enough money in five years to do that, if we cut back on other things.

Setting a goal to go to Ireland and Scotland this year would not be realistic. We do not have the money saved for another large vacation and we do not have any more vacation time. So why set ourselves up for failure by setting an unrealistic goal, one that we cannot attain?

Examples of unrealistic and realistic goals follow.

“I will lose 25 pounds in one week.” (This will only work if you resort to amputation of limbs!) “I will lose 25 pounds in 5 months.”

“I will start training this week and finish the local triathlon next week.” “I will train a minimum of four hours per week starting this week and finish the local triathlon next year.”

The important thing is that you achieve your goals. Write them so that you can actually accomplish them. Base this upon your situation and your resources, including financial and time resources.

Success Strategy: Create Goals

You have a dream. You have committed to making it a reality. The next step is to create goals.

Goals are the bridges between thought and action. Actions, of course, are necessary to transform a dream into a reality.

Goals need to be specific, measurable, attainable, and include a time frame to increase the chances of being achieved.

“I’m going to travel” is a very weak goal. “I will travel to Ireland the summer of 2011” is a strong goal and has a much better chance of success.

Other examples of weak and strong goals follow.

“I’m going to lose weight.” “I will lose 1 pound per week for the next 10 weeks starting this week.”

“I’m going to go to college sometime after high school.” “I will start college the fall after I graduate from high school. I will graduate in four years.” (Including exact dates is even better.)

“I’m going to spend more time with my family.” “I will create ‘family night’ one evening a week where we will all spend time together. I will start this next week. I will continue this for 6 weeks and then evaluate how to proceed.”

Specific, measurable, attainable, and a time frame are the necessary components of goals. We will discuss attainable (realistic) next time.

It is also extremely helpful to write your goals rather than just keeping them in your head. Goals have more power when they are written. They also have more power when you share them!

Success Strategy: Commit to Your Dream

Dreams do not become a reality until you truly commit to making them so. It is so easy to go year after year thinking “someday.” “Someday” I will go back to school. “Someday” I will take that trip. “Someday” I will make time to do what I want. “Someday” I will save money for the future.

Without a commitment, “someday” never comes.

I told myself for years that “someday” I would go to Ireland. My husband and I talked about “someday” we would go. It was not until last year when we made a commitment to go in 2011 did we finally make plans to go and the dream materialized.

I made a commitment in high school to go to college. I did not know how I was going to pay for it, but I was determined to succeed because that was my best chance of achieving the life I wanted.

Dreams do not happen without plans. We will discuss that later. However, plans are never made without the commitment to make the dream happen! Moreover, a commitment needs a date, not “someday.”

Dreams are the necessary starting point for success. Commitment is the critical next step.

If you have an unfilled dream, have you truly committed to making it happen? Have you made a promise to yourself to achieve this dream and by a certain date? A vague “someday” is not a commitment.

Success Strategy: Dream!

Everything that we achieve, every success, starts with a dream. A dream starts as a want or desire. It can be extremely simple. I wanted to go to Ireland because that is where many of my ancestors originated.

There are several things that elevated this desire to go to Ireland into a dream. One was time. I have wanted to go to Ireland since I was a child. This has never faded. The more I learned about Ireland, the more I wanted to see Ireland for myself, not just read about it or see it on the screen.

Throughout the years, I thought about fulfilling this dream, but for a variety of reasons did not until now.

Dreams can grow and become reality, stagnate, or die.

Sometimes it is best to let dreams go. When I was a child, I dreamed of having a horse. That did not happen. I could have a horse now, but I no longer really want one and the expense and time that are involved. Owning a horse was a good dream for then, but not for now.

Sometimes dreams stagnate. We never let them go, but we never do anything about them either. Do you have any dreams like that? Maybe it is time to make a decision to let them go and move on or make them happen. The dream of going to Ireland stagnated for decades until I took action.

Sometimes dreams grow and become reality. A dream I had as a teenager was to escape my hometown. (Looking back, my hometown really was not that bad. However, it seemed to be at the time.) I wanted a comfortable home, land, new cars, travel, and nice clothes. I wanted an interesting, fulfilling life. I made these dreams a reality by going to college, creating and building a career, and working very hard. It all has been worth it!

Dreams can be big, like the life we want to lead. Dreams can be small, like traveling to a special place. Big or small, however, for dreams to grow, and ultimately be fulfilled, we have to work at them! Dreams do not magically become reality. We have to make them come to life!

Suggestions for making your dreams become a reality will follow in upcoming blogs. I look forward to your suggestions!

Success Strategies Learned in Ireland

When we think of success and strategies to help us achieve that success, usually we think of professional success. This is good! However, our professional lives are not our complete lives. We also have personal lives. Our personal success is as important as our professional success. And often, the same strategies will help us succeed in both!

My husband and I just returned from Ireland. It was great, but it could have been even better!

There were some strategies that we used that contributed to a fantastic experience. Some strategies I could have implemented better. Mostly, I worry. (I tell people that I really worry that I worry too much!)

The next several blogs will discuss success strategies that can be used to contribute to professional and personal success. I will use stories from Ireland as examples.

At any time, please contribute your thoughts!