Plans and Goals
by Mitch Mitchell

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Hey, wake up! What are you waiting for? It’s another beautiful day and year, and we have things to do. We have to go outside, shine up the Mercedes, tell the butler we’ve having guests for lunch, get on our yachts and sail off into the marina for a short trip.

Oh wait, you don’t have that yet, do you? Unfortunately, I don’t either. Truthfully, I don’t plan on having most of what I mentioned above. I have my own dreams and goals to shoot for, as I’m sure you do yourself.

What I do have is a plan of action, as well as some goals. I believe they really are two different means to the same thing. Without a plan you don’t have any idea what it is you’re trying to do; without a goal, you have no idea what you want.

Money seems like a great motivator, but it’s not. Most surveys actually show that money isn’t in the top 5. At a factory, you can pay someone $20 an hour, but if they have nothing else to occupy their minds the job isn’t satisfying.

Let’s take a stab at how you might think about planning ahead for your future. Have you decided how you’re going to purchase your products for resell, or are you going to create them yourself? Have you determined all the services you’re going to offer, or streamlined it to only a few? Have you decided where and how you’re going to try to market your items and yourself? Are you going to give parties, or will you set up at craft fairs? Will you set up at business shows or other events? Will you join a chamber of commerce in your area or some other type of networking organization?

How will you market? Will you walk up to people and hand them a catalog? Will you try online advertising of your products? Will you create a webpage? Will you send out flyers? Will you try to connect with other businesses to buy some of your products wholesale? Well you offer free sessions, or free samples? Speaking engagements? How much will you travel; how far?

Do you know what kind of money you hope to make? In three months? Six months? A year? Will you recruit others to improve your cash flow, or do you want to do it alone? Do you want this as your primary career, or as a part time job to make money on the side? Have you determined whether your fees are fair to your clients as well as fair to yourself?

What do you want for your life? Do you want cars or houses or trips? Do you want stereos or other things? Do you want money to buy clothes, or put your children through college?

Have you written anything down? If you try to keep it all in your head, you stand the chance of missing something. You should make two lists. On one, you should write all the things you’d like for your luxury and fun. Dream big; you deserve it. On the other, make three columns, and write three months, six months, a year at the top. Then list underneath each what steps you believe you need to take to get there. They don’t have to be in order initially, but you will want to go back and put them in order, if needed, at a later time.

You have just made yourself a plan and a goal for your future. Sure, it’s the early stages, but at least you’re on your way.

Author's Bio
Mitch Mitchell is an executive coach, speaker, and eduator in areas of personal growth. His concentration is in leadership/management, diversity, and motivation.