We have been talking about goal setting, and last time we talked about how goal setting helps us solve problems and that we make money by solving problems. Now I would like to address the idea of planning with goal setting. If we do not plan, then how can we achieve our goals? Most people spend more time planning for a vacation than they do for their future. What if you took off for a trip with no plan in mind? You have the family loaded in the car, you start to drive, and then when you get tired you stop and tell everyone, “This is it; we have arrived, even though we do not know where we are and maybe even how we got here, but yes, sorry everyone, this is it”. No one would really want to do that, but yet we do it all the time with our lives and in our business, and then we look around us and wonder how in the world did we ever get in this position or to this place in our life?
We all know how important it is to set goals, yet many people set goals and then never plan on how to actually achieve those goals. This is where strategic planning comes into play. For some reason, it is a scary term and most people, even large corporations, will do anything to avoid strategic planning. Strategic planning is nothing more than looking at your goals and asking yourself: how I am going to achieve them? What do I need to do today, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year to accomplish what I want? Once you have asked yourself these questions, you already have a plan. Then, if you are not achieving your goals, you do not have to stop; you can simply look at your plan and see if it needs some tweaking. You can come up with a plan on your own, your staff, or you can even purchase software that will walk you through the process (depending on how involved you want to get and how big your organization is). Sometimes you plan and plan and you do not achieve your goals. In this case, it would be a good idea to reevaluate your goals and see if they are legitimate and truly what you want. Maybe God has a different plan for you and you need to look elsewhere for your inspiration. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being on the wrong track as long as we recognize it and get back on the right track. Many successful people set out on a goal, had to completely change mid-course, and it was the best move that they ever made. Ronald Reagan, the greatest President of all times in my opinion, started out in acting and decided to change goals; he became one of the greatest leaders that the United States has ever seen. He did not do anything wrong; he was just smart enough to recognize where his real strength was and then planned for that instead.
Set your goals accordingly so that you can accomplish what you want both in business and in your personal life. Then sit down with everyone that needs to be involved and plan on how to achieve them. If the plan is not working, change it; or if needed, set new goals. There is nothing wrong with changing plans and/or goals. It is only wrong if you quit. Always move forward because once you quit it is over, and where you are is where you will stay.
