Plan It To Win It
I enjoy planning – I plan my workouts, my meals, my grocery lists, our finances, and the list can go on. Planning helps me to feel calmer because I know there is a path forward to a specific objective I am working toward. But do you know what blows up that calm? Not actually following my plan! I am not talking about being adaptable to the unpredictability in any given day of life. I am talking about not taking the specific and conscious actions to assess my progress against my plan and then course correct when needed.
Let me illustrate with a personal life example. Recently, I crafted a meal plan around macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and fat) that was aligned with my goal to build muscle. I took deliberate steps to follow my plan, and even recorded all that I ate daily. Yet, at the end of the day, I was still over my intended targeted levels for my macronutrients – which meant I would miss the goal my plan was supposed to help me achieve. Turns out, my plan was missing a step and needed some tweaking. What I needed to do was allocate a certain amount of carbohydrates, proteins and fat for each of my meals, and when that specific meal time came up, all I needed to do was execute on what I already planned. Evaluating and refining my plan made it so much easier to follow my plan and stay on track with confidence that I was making progress toward my goals.
Ok, some life goals can be much bigger than meal plans, I get it. But the principles to achieve small goals are absolutely same as the principles needed to achieve bigger things in life. Here is a really simple, but effective, way to start building momentum toward your goals:
👉 First, know the goal you want to achieve.
👉 Next, make the plan – what are the specific things you need to do, when do you need to do them by, how often do you need todo them?
👉 Then the magic step – take action! DO the things on the plan, yes, do it (ok Nike, you really have the best tag line!). But don’t miss the next one!
👉 Measure what you are doing; frequently evaluate what you are doing and assess if it is moving you along the right path to your specific goal. Make the tweaks in your plan and course correct along the way.
Yes, You Can Still Have a Growth Spurts!
I’m all for the joys of life’s spontaneity. And I am also all for the joys of realizing our dreams. We don’t accidently stumble into achieving our goals; we must take intentional, consistent action. We grow toward our goals, and this requires intentionality. Leadership expert Dr. John C. Maxwell says,
"While aging is automatic, growth is intentional," - Dr. John C. Maxwell
We do not automatically get better, we do not automatically become the leader we want to be, or achieve the goals we want. We must have a plan, with clear, practical steps. Practical does not mean easy, but it does mean that it is within our direct influence to apply effort toward, even if they are difficult and uncomfortable. Getting better is an uphill climb; but it is worth the effort.
Sometimes, we have a clear vision of who we want to be, but we move along life just winging it. Not sure how close or far away we are from achieving the vision. This can eventually lead to just not pursuing the vision.
This does not have to be you though. If you need help putting together a practical plan that will help you grow into the leader and person you want to be, take your first step today. With each step, you will see that your action fuels your motivation to keep moving forward, and then you will build unstoppable momentum toward your goal. Even slow, steady progress is progress and will build momentum.
"Be not afraid of going slowly. Be afraid of only standing still." - Chinese Proverb.
Take action today on your personal growth plan!
