Article published on LinkedIn.com: October 12, 2023

08_Plan Ahead_101123.pdf

Plan AHead

Life is a journey. How will you get there if you do not have an itinerary? Goals tell you where you are going, how you are going to get there, and what you will do when you get there.

You have to decide what you want, first of all. The problem with so many people is that they do not know what they really want. In other words, they are not at all clear about what they want in life. Setting your goals requires you to decide what you want and to determine by when you want to have achieved that thing. For instance, you must put a deadline on what you currently want.

Get clear about what you want. Have a good plan of attack. Ask yourself: What do I know about this? What information do I have? What information do I need, and where can I get it? What skills do I need to master? What other resources should I use? Is this the best way to do it, or is there some other way?

Start small, but keep moving forward. Goals do not necessarily have to be big ones. When you set your goals too high, you might find things becomes overwhelming and time-consuming and just give up. Set goals in small increments, complete with time, dates, amount, and some other details. By breaking down your goals in to smaller, workable units, you are more likely to realize them.

Remember that even great people had to start somewhere.

Be positive when stating your goals. Stating your goal positively will help you view it as a good thing to do, and not as a by-product of what you had to avoid. However, spread out your goals and try to make tiny goals for different aspects of your life; for example, one or two for each aspect, or more if you like.

Areas for goal-setting include: family and home, career, social, physical, mental, and spiritual. If you say, “I want to be a successful dad", then try to make goals towards the development of your family life while still keeping an eye open for ways to improve your career and other areas of your life.

Do not underestimate yourself. It is tempting to sometimes just slack off, or let yourself off too easy.

The fear of failure is sometimes to blame for setting our goals too low. Remember that some fears are unfounded. How do you know you will actually ruin something? And how do you know for sure your coworkers will laugh at your effort? If you try to reason with your fears, more often than not, you will realize that there really is no reason for you to be reluctant and that, in fact, you can do whatever is challenging you.

Putting your goals down on paper is more than just having a way to memorize them. You are actually confirming your willingness to make them come true. A written list of goals is an effective reminder of what you need to do, and once you have met them, a good review of your accomplishments. This process helps you affirm your goals.

Affirmation is really more than writing down, “I am going to buy my $750,000 home by Christmas” twenty times. It is actually being conscious not only of your thought processes, but also of your acts during the day.

Stop procrastinating. If you are used to procrastination, being bull-headed about a goal can seem scary at first. Try to set a schedule, and then reward yourself each time you meet it. Start inculcating the habit of liking something. The most difficult thing is to like something useful. Our minds generally reject any conscious attempt to focus on any worthwhile goal. Some really lucky souls subconsciously liked these worthy goals and had great success in the areas.

Many of us focus subconsciously on petty things such as entertainment, celebrities, etc. and when the time comes for focusing on big things, we back out because we have an already loaded negative image of that goal. It is simply a misinterpreted relativity. There is no reason to feel worthless before a big goal just because we have put our attention on petty goals. You need to think big when you are setting goals; think great thoughts. You must also crystallize your thinking and make it clear to you first.  Then write them down. Plan ahead, so you can get ahead!

Remember to try visualizing the outcome at a time in the future when it will become apparent that to set definite times in the future is obtainable. Setting huge impossible goals can and will ruin the want or need for goals, which may be important during your life. So please start small and work your way up!

This 642-page book is the result of a four-year project called Project Tomorrow. During the four-year period, we followed more than 500 trainees, aged from 16 to 72. It is also the fruit of forty years of experience acquired with local and international organizations and companies and during consultancy, change management, transition, and marketing services. For more information go to: www.webtechpublishing.com .

About the Author In addition to writing, Germain Decelles acts as Change Management Strategist. He has over 40 years of business and consultation experience with local and international markets, including sectors such as retail trade, distribution, information technology and communications, transportation, manufacturing, financial services, and government organizations. Other publications: ISO Pour Tous – Le manuel d’information ISO – Le guide de préparation ISO – La gestion du changement en affaires – La gestion de projet d’affaires – Le changement POUR TOUS – Change Your Future, Now! – Mon succès est votre succès – My Success Is Your Success. Press Contact Germain Decelles, o.s.j. WebTech Management and Publishing Incorpored

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