#3 PLANNING

#3 Planning: You know what you want and you know why you want it. Now you need to know how to get there. It’s time to make a plan. Hint: Don’t waste time trying to re-invent the wheel. Find others who have successfully done what you want to do and take appropriate measures to learn from them. Read about them. Read what they’ve written. If you can get access to them directly, see if they’d be willing to meet with you. Be willing to invest in your success by paying them for their time and expertise. (If money is an issue, perhaps some type of barter can be arranged.) Their advice will more than pay for itself as you shorten the learning curve and avoid the rookie mistakes that waste time and money. Use their advice to craft a plan that will work for you. 

Set S.M.A.R.T. goals. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound. Make sure the goals are specific: To say you’re going to open a restaurant someday is not as specific as saying you’re going to open an Italian restaurant on 47^th and 8th with seating for 50 by next Christmas.  The goals need to be measureable meaning you must establish concrete criteria to monitor your progress. They must be attainable meaning it’s OK to set the bar high, but if you’re relatively unknown and set a goal to do a sold out speaking engagement at Madison Square Garden next week, that’s probably unattainable. The goals should be realistic. Losing 50 lbs in two weeks may be attainable, but it’s certainly not realistic or even safe.  Lastly, you must have a timetable for completion.  

Identify the action steps that you will need to take.  Commit to doing at least two things every day that will move you toward your goal. This will create forward momentum, bringing your goal into focus, and make it more real.