The Action Plan to Success

Every success story comes from perfect planning. It is harder to achieve success by simply going at it and hoping for the best. Hope doesn’t count for snags encountered along the way, and don’t have any ways to overcome it.

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It is baffling why some succeed, and some fail. Sometimes it may even seem unfair. You may know friends and family who are fantastic people, act appropriately, have a good education, have good jobs, lead good families, and generally possess the good things in life. But somehow, they still wallow in desperation and difficulty.

Then some always achieve so much success and yet do not have high merits. They have no education, poor attitude about themselves and other people, often dishonest and unethical, and even involved in a cycle of breakups and new partners. In these cases, the real defining factor is the strength of one’s desire to get ahead. Despite their lack of virtues, knowledge, and appreciation, they often got ahead in the success race. This is also why you often see drug dealers and gang members driving Lamborghinis while many good and honest people you know are struggling to pay their bills. If the desire is strong enough to achieve the goals, why do many still do not?

The sad answer is there is only desire but no work. Often many people dream big but do not hustle and put in the work. They do not stay up late at night developing new solutions to their problems. They do not work 16 hours a day closing a sale. They do not struggle to ensure their prospects turn into qualified clients. They do. They do not learn all that they possibly can about our industry and our markets. They do not work to get around the right sources of influence or associate with those who can help them achieve their goals. While you are sitting there dreaming, some are getting off their seats and working.

So, what are the steps to develop a plan that will work amazingly and take you to the finish line strongly? Here are the five major points to keep in mind:

Step 1: Develop The Right Plan For You.

Some people are very detail-oriented and can closely follow a detailed plan to the letter. Others are more effective when they see the bigger picture first and then frame out the small steps that lead to the final goal.

Each of us is unique and motivated by different factors, and you’ve got to develop a plan that is right for you and fits you. Some plans will not be as intricate as others, but we all must have a plan, along with goals in that plan, to move us along. If you are a free spirit, don’t tell yourself you will spend two hours a day with a book and a journal. It probably won’t happen, and you will get discouraged. Whatever your personality, your strengths, and your weaknesses, develop a plan around them. This is not a one-plan-fits-all proposition.

If you’re detail-oriented, it’s best to map out the small steps in your plan with utmost focus. You need to be very clear on what you want to achieve daily, weekly, or monthly. For example, the first small step to achieving your ideal weight is to cut out one serving of sweetened drinks by the end of Week 1.

Those who like to see the bigger picture first, it helps if you imagine how it will be if you’re, say, 20 pounds lighter. You may get out of bed easier, your energy level will rise, and you will fit into those clothes that you want to wear. Then, map out what you need to do to achieve that.

Step 2: Allocate The Time For It.

It is crucial in your planning because you’ll be more precise on when you should commit to achieving your goals. In this case, let’s use the weight-loss goal from above.

It might be alternating aerobics and weight training every other weekend. It might be running 30 minutes each morning or swimming after work. It might be in the car listening to weight loss motivational podcasts on your way to work, or it might even be meeting your coach once a week to set your workout plan and to check on your progress.

Whatever it is, be specific on the where, when, and how to do it, and do it. In your step-by-step plan, put down points that represent small achievable goals that you can accomplish in a short time. They should be specific because if you straightaway put down an important goal, you may think it’s too big to achieve.

The next crucial element in achieving your goals to success is not starting to work on it but to keep going at it. Discipline comes into important play here. Take those steps every day, which will close the gap to your goals.

Step 3: Keep A Journal

Two words that will help you a lot: Take Notes. In all seriousness, your memory should not be trusted. It’s much better and workable when you write things down in a single place, so it’s easier to remind yourself where you’re heading and what success you have achieved. You will find that this step will help you tremendously in the long run.

Record everything! Be it the ideas and inspiration or reminders and failures that you have gone through. These records massively help carry you from where you are to where you want to be. Write down the ideas that you get from outside sources that impact you most. Complement them with your ideas that further suit your style. Do a brainstorming session with yourself on what you want and how you want to do it. And finally, record all your dreams and ambitions, and put it where you’ll read them first, so you stay reminded and motivated.

Your journals are a gathering place for all the valuable information that you will find. If you come across something that you think will hugely help you achieve, for example, wealth, power, sophistication, health, influence, culture, or uniqueness, do not delay. Please write it down. Strengthen your reflection and motivation using the information you gather and put it where it will be recorded permanently.

Step 4: Reflect on Where You Are and Where You Want To Be

The next step is to take the time for reflection. This is where you spend some time going back over and studying what you’ve learned and the things you’ve done each day. This is called ‘running the tapes again’ so the day locks firmly in your memory, serves as a tool for motivation, and keeps you going.

As you go through your notes, spend time reflecting on their significance to you. What you can do is take a few minutes at the end of each day before you go to sleep, and go back over what happened and what you have achieved during the day: pay extra attention to who you talked to, who you saw, what they said, what happened and how you felt. Another way is to take a longer time to reflect on the week’s activities and achievements at the end of the week. It also pays to stop periodically, step back and look at what you’re doing and see if it serves to push you to your goal or not. Then tweak it a bit, so you are kept on track. Take some time to reflect. A half-day at the end of the month. A weekend at the end of the year. This way, you can focus on your reflections, so they never disappear. This ensures that the past is even more valuable and will serve your future well.

Step 5: Set Clear and Achievable Goals

Remember that your plan is the roadmap that shows your goals and is an essential tool that helps you succeed. Setting goals is also an invaluable skill to learn because it can change your life for the better and does it in the fastest way. Mastering this unique process can have a powerful effect on your life, too. If you have a set of clearly defined goals, it can surprisingly be a powerful indication of telling if you have only hundreds of dollars or millions in the bank! Set your own goals as soon as possible because it is the most significant influence on your future and the greatest force to pull you in the direction you want to go. It all boils down to this: If you plan and design your goals well, your future will be very bright.

Step 6: Act on It!

So what still holds you back from your success? You have a powerful desire to do it already, and you have already created a plan that will take you there.

The next step?

Take action! Here’s the thing: successful people aren’t necessarily more intelligent than others; they work the plan to the letter, follow through on the plan, to ensure you reach greater heights.

The best time to act on your plan is when your emotions are strong. There’s a little thing called The Law of Diminishing Intent. Your desires diminish over time, and if you don’t act immediately after having the desire, your goals are harder to achieve. Act when the idea strikes you when the emotion is high. But if we delay and don’t translate that passion into action fairly soon, the intention starts to diminish. A month from now, it’s cold. A year from now, it can’t be found. This is where discipline comes to play -work the plan when the idea is strong, clear, and powerful. You must capture the emotion, put it into disciplined activities, and translate it into a robust and unrelenting action plan.