Do You Have A Personal Plan?
by Scott A. Sumner, MBA
In business we have business plans. As a person we can do a plan which I call a personal plan.The first step in making your personal plan is to figure out in your mind what it is you really want. I mean REALLY want. Not something you think you need, but aren't sure of, but what kind of a life you really want at the centre of your being, the centre of your soul. The beautiful thing about the mind is that you can think about and visualize things in full vivid detail at any time or place right in your mind. You don't have to leave the comfort of your bed or chair. You can play out exactly what you want in techni-colour detail.Many successful world class athletes do this all the time. They often call it " visualization". If you're about to make a shot on the 18th hole that could win you the Canadian Open Golf Championship, you look at the hole and your target, and clearly see in your mind the shot before you swing. For instance, at the 2000 Bell Canadian Open, ( amazingly that was 20 years ago!) on the final round, 18th hole, I witnessed in real life, a six iron bunker shot over water to the par 5 finishing hole by none other than Tiger Woods.This memorable shot created a birdie and allowed him to win by one shot over his closest competition. Afterwards, listening to him at a live media conference, which I attended, it became clear he visualized the shot before he executed it. He had assessed the risk and knew in himself that he had the ability.
I like to take this process of developing your mind in full detail, that is what it is you really want more than anything, one step further, and to write it out in simple paragraphs, your dream or Your personal plan -PP. It is really very simple. You write yourself a story >about you that is a blueprint of exactly how you want your life to be. Then you have a written record which you can refer to and analyze day by day, week by week or month by month.
So what good is the dream. How will it happen, come true? Will you get your wish? Yes you will when you roll up your sleeves, unbutton your collar and get down to WORK!!!. It's really that simple. The first step is done. You know what you want. Your dream is developed and includes the areas of spiritual, emotional, physical, financial and career. You have an indepth knowledge of what you really want. Remember >getting to this stage isn' t something to do in an afternoon. I believe it takes concentrated well-thought out time after you have got good ideas from some of the best minds our world has ever known. BUT once you have a well- developed dream that is exactly where you want to go, you can start to work to achieve it.
I think a next step is to break out your written dream into five areas with specific steps or goals in each one. I' ve been doing this for some time, and as a MBA graduate it is really a lot like creating an elaborate business plan for not your business, but for YOU!! After all you are far more important than a business so why doesn't every one have a business plan for themselves.Your goals are written out in clear language. For example, if in your health you want to get in good shape you might have a goal to weigh 185 lbs. If you now weigh 210 lbs you clearly know your target. The question is how will you get to it? Your plan will list the steps in detail. For example how many calories do you consume each day, what types of food will you eat, what exercise do you do. It will show you the route to your goal of weighing 185 pounds. It will have time lines that are clear. You have to know when you will achieve your goals, and a specific time line will help make things happen.
When you have a well thought out dream/ plan that cuts exactly to your real interests of what will make your life EXCEPTIONAL, you need
to spend energy working towards it. All the time. If you spend your time on things that aren't leading you to your goals, you are wasting your time. I think when you have a clear idea of the direction you are headed, you become increasingly focused.www.scottsumner.com
