Though I’ve been talking about the technical side of a business lately, I’d thought that I would also talk about the administration side of things as well because you can’t have one without the other. Success is one of the traits that every person (whether they have their own business or not) desires because it can affect practically every area of your life – relationships, job, school, finances, etc. The list could go on and on if we wanted to elaborate. It does not look the same for one person as it does for another as it’s based on a person’s particular goals and personality and it is not a competition either. There is not a perfect equation that you can follow to see the results that you desire but it does take hard work, dedication, passion and perseverance, community and knowledge among other things in order to achieve the success that you want in your life. While not everyone has to have everything labeled and not a single place out of order to reach success, organization is also a key factor to reaching your goal and will help in the planning process.
Success is not about striving for perfection but about giving yourself grace. Below are some tips on how to plan for success that can work for both professional and personal aspects of your life:
Know Your Why
Know the reason why you are starting something. This does not mean that you will know how everything is going to work out but it does mean that you understand and have a purpose for doing the things that you are doing instead of having a chaotic mess.
Make A Plan
A plan might sound intimidating but really is just answers the basic question of how you are going to achieve a goal. Start with the main goal and break it down into smaller steps to see how it can be achieved and the approximate amount of time that it could take.
Plan out your Monthly, Weekly and Daily Goals
This is where the actual planning of the small steps takes place by breaking it down into monthly, weekly and daily. What are the monthly goals and details that you want to achieve to help your business or to help you grow as a person? How are you going to be able to achieve these goals on a weekly and daily basis? Write out different steps that should be taken each week as well as specific steps that can be taken to help you reach your monthly goal.
Find Community
This tip might surprise you but it’s one that will help you immensely. We were not created to do life alone and running your own small business or setting a personal goal may get lonely. Find a similar group or person to keep you accountable and to give you community. There are plenty of groups on Facebook that connects you with others online and try googling groups in your specific area to see if there is a group available to meet in person.
Make Adjustments as Needed
The plan is really just a rough draft and will need to be adjusted. What things worked great? What things did not work out as planned? How can you improve something? These are all questions to see how you can adjust your plan to help you grow in the future.
It’s a Journey
This might sound cliché but it’s true. Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day and that it will take time to see the success that you want.
Planning is so helpful to help you see what you have to do to get where you want to go. Success is not a marathon but is a sprint and one that should be run at a steady pace. As Walt Disney once said, “A person should set his goals as early as he can and devote all his energy and talent to getting there” as goals are the steps to a steady foundation. What are you waiting for? Grab a planner and start writing out your goals that you have now to see success in your near future! Do you have any other tips for planning for success? How has planning helped in your life? Let me know in the comments below.