The Personal Strategic Plan or Do You Plan to Fail by Failing to Plan?

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Lately I have come across many people that seem to be beaten down by life. When I ask them about their dreams and goals and whether they have a personal strategic plan to change their life around, most I get is an exciting look at first, when they think of some dream of theirs, but as soon as that look came up, it also disappears.

The excitement soon disappears because they start telling me about their life, about how little money they have, how stressed they feel of having too much stuff on their plate, how overwhelmed they feel by all the responsibilities, how low on energy they are right now trying to make ends meet and avoiding their home to be taken by the bank.

If you recognize any of these feelings I urge you to keep on reading because there is a way to turn your life around, one step at a time. A friend once called me up from her holiday. And while talking to her on the phone and listening to all her great holiday adventures, I couldn't help noticing anxiety and worry in her voice.

She had traveled up north and while having a great time being their, she dreaded her way home, because the weather had changed quite a bit and she was facing a long drive mostly in the fog and darkness. So when I asked if everything ok with her, she confessed she really feared driving back on her own, especially since she would spent the first few hours without being able to see a lot, but staying where she was right then, was not an option, having to return home to start working again.

So I asked her if she was afraid her car would break down and she said it was fine and had been fully checked before going on her holiday. So I asked her if she feared getting lost on her way, but that wasn't the problem either, because she had felt confident about her driving and navigation skills plus she had a good roadmap, knowing where she was heading. What she feared was the long road in darkness, not being able to see far ahead of her.

Now this to me was the best example of what happens to many people. My friend had everything in place, she had checked her car and skills, had prepared for the trip but failed to look at it in smaller steps. She saw the big picture, the bigger plan, even had prepared as much as she could, but for some reason she forgot to break it down in smaller bits.

I pointed out to her that she really didn't need to have a clear vision of miles and miles to get home, that all she needed was to see the road right ahead of her and go slow and steady, because that was the only way to get to her destination.

See, to me this was a classic example of what happens to many people. The get overwhelmed by a huge task at hand while in reality, you can achieve a lot by breaking it up into smaller bits. Looking at the big picture, it is easy to get paralyzed just thinking of the huge amount of work still left and by doing nothing, you will achieve nothing.

However, if you are able to write down your end goal and then go backwards, breaking it up in smaller steps you feel comfortable about doing, setting a realistic timeline and sticking to that, you are actually planning for success.

My friend got home safe and called me up to thank me. Once she had seen her fear from another angle, the long trip all of a sudden didn't seem that daunting anymore and she actually enjoyed the drive home, feeling confident that even though she couldn't see the whole road ahead of her, she could take it in smaller bits.

This story easily translates to everything that happens in your life. You have a long road ahead and you are the one that decides where you want to end up. Just driving along without direction will get you lost, and even though you might still be driving, you will never end up where you want to.

On the other end, if you know the exact place where you want to go (your goal), prepare for the road (by learning new skills or creating new habits for example), and plan for it in detail by breaking it up into smaller steps (creating a personal strategic plan), you are planning for success.

I have found through personal experience that having a personal strategic plan is about the most powerful tool you can have to change your life around. Anyone can write one, but if you feel you need some guidance in this area there are different strategic plans available that will focus on what is most important to you by identifying very clearly your goals first, so that you find out what really matter to you.

Then it will go on and break the bigger picture into smaller and easier achievable frames and sticking to that will soon get you on your way.

Yes, it takes time and you probably won't get a huge change in your life overnight, but really, can you afford not to invest time in yourself and your future?

Do you really prefer to keep following on the way you are doing now without putting effort and focus into improving your situation?

Do you really want to spend the rest of your life dreaming about what could have been if only you had taken action to turn those dreams into reality?

Isn't it about time to really get all out of life that you can, by writing down your goals and creating a true personal strategic plan that will allow you to create your own success story?

Don't put it on your list of new years resolutions, don't put it off another day, but start changing your life today!