Create a Plan to Achieve Your Goals
You will not be the best person that you can possibly be unless you set goals. In fact, goals are not sufficient; you must create a plan to achieve a goal. A goal without a plan is merely a wish.
Wishes are something that children do when they look at stars or when they throw a coin into a fountain. You are not a child. You are an adult. You are a professional. Set a goal and make a plan to achieve that goal.
The greatest source of wisdom is undoubtedly the Christian Bible. In 1 Corinthians 13:11
“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”
You do not need to be a Christian or religious to be a great salesperson, but great wisdom is great wisdom regardless of the source! You should put away childish things like merely hoping that things will get better. Instead, be an adult and make a plan to make it better.
Most people go through life without bothering to write down their goals. Very few people have specific and measurable goals, and even fewer have written these goals down.
An even smaller amount has also thought of a specific plan to make these goals a reality. That is your advantage in life over the average person (who is your competitor on the next deal you are pursuing).
A recent study showed that you are 58.3% more likely to achieve your goal if you write down your goal and communicate your achievement progress to a co-worker or friend. Why would you want to fail? Why wouldn’t you do everything in your power to succeed?
When you don’t have a plan, you don’t know how you will reach your destination.
What kind of goals should you set?
The first thing to do is to make the goals SMART. SMART is a popular acronym, and there are hundreds of articles written about how to write SMART goals.
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Timely
Now that you have a specific goal that will lead you to the success that you wish for in your life. These are no longer childish wishes; these are firm steps to propel you through your life. You must now create a plan to achieve that goal and you must work with someone you trust to have your progress monitored. This will dramatically increase your chances of achieving that goal.
In an upcoming post, I will discuss the types of goals that you should create.