Expediting Success

To embark on a significant journey, you should first have an accurate idea of your destination.

This way, you’ll be able to plan adequately for your journey - directions, mode of transport, estimated costs, time, etc.

Skip that, and you’d end up wandering aimlessly. Or find yourself lost somewhere in the middle of Timbuktu. Sure, you’re on a journey, alright, but where?

Similarly, when planning for your success, you will need a ‘destination’ and a ‘roadmap.’ That would be a clear vision of what you want and specific goals to help you on your way to achieve your idea of success.

Creating A Vision

To be truly effective in your pursuit for success, you should first be able to visualize your ìdestinationî - a clear vision of where you want to be in the future. It’s what you desire, your passion, your purpose in doing something.

Creating a vision is essential. It’s the very thing that gives you direction, a compass that directs you to make the best decisions and take the right actions that will propel you towards success. It’s what gets you excited and motivated to push beyond your self-imposed boundaries. It’s what keeps you focused and on top of your game.

To begin, take some time to envision how you see your life in your ideal future. Reflect on your passions, core principles and values you live by, and your purpose in life.

Remember to define your vision - make sure your idea is specific and clear. It is your starting point - the very foundation you will be building on. It is the ideal you will be striving for and get closer to. Your vision should be in line with your values and principles, as well as your view of the future. Simply coming up with a vague concept of wanting to be ‘wealthy’ or ‘popular’ is not enough; it should be solid and specific.

An example here would be: To be financially free by age 30. To work only 30 hours a week. To be a healthier individual - both mentally and physically.

You can also think of the people you admire and look up to - the kind of characteristics or habits you wish to emulate yourself. You can even ask them to be your mentor to help you think things through in certain areas and advise you on what has worked for them.

Again, don’t restrain yourself too much when creating your vision. Your vision is personal and unique - there is no right or wrong. It’s something that only you can decide for yourself, and this also is dependent on what you want to achieve in life.

Remember, the point of creating a vision is to know your reason for doing something and to help you be more focused and motivated.

Setting Your Goals

But simply envisioning the future is not enough - that reduces your vision to little more than a glorious daydream.

Visions will remain unattainable when not coupled with goals. And this is where plans come in.

Goals are more specific and quantifiable targets - it’s the ‘roadmap’ to your journey of success. They act as benchmarks or milestones, aiding you in laying the path for the rightful achievement of your vision. These also include the tactics as well as strategies you use to work towards your vision.

Goals are a tool to help you take conscious steps each day to help you realize your vision.

Again, I have to emphasize here that a solid, clear vision first is essential. The goals you set and work towards achieving should be in line with your vision. Plans keep you focused on the big picture as to why you should complete your goals.

An excellent approach to use when setting your goals is the S.M.A.R.T.E.R approach to goal setting.

S.M.A.R.T.E.R is an acronym that stands for:

Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant Time Boxing Evaluation Readjust

Here’s a detailed elaboration of this approach.

Specific

Your goal should be specific and crystal clear - you should be able to know what success looks like here. The more specific you can get, the better. A good tip here is to ask yourself the 5 W questions below :

What do I want to accomplish?
Why is this goal important?
Who is involved?
Where is it located?
Which resources or limits are involved?

Measurable

The goals you set for yourself should be measurable and quantifiable, so you can track your progress and performance properly. Seeing progress is a great motivator - it gets you excited knowing that you are well on your way to success. Not only that, this helps your focus.

Achievable

Successful goals should be realistic and achievable. Lying to yourself and aiming for a goal beyond your abilities will only result in failure to reach that goal.

Relevant

Your goal should be relevant. It should matter to you and be aligned with your other goals and visions. This step keeps you from focusing on the wrong things.

Time-Bound

Every goal you set should have a deadline - this gives you something to work towards. However, aiming to hit a goal in 5 to 7 years is not considered a proper deadline. Sure, it contains a time element - but it's not specific enough.

Your plan to reach a goal in 5 years will be pretty different from your plan to reach a goal within seven years.

Setting a more specific date for your goals allows you to develop a more precise plan. This also prevents you from letting other everyday matters take priority over your goals.

Evaluate

Over time, things happen, and goals change. Look over your goals from time to time and re-evaluate them; check if they need changing to fit your current situation. Constant evaluation of your plans is essential for you to reach your goals.