You have done a lot of visualization and inner search work to find the true calling and purpose of your life. You are excited about your new clarity. You are willing to step out of your comfort zone and take the necessary steps to make this happen. But he’s not sure what his next action should be or how to make a plan. Perhaps you haven’t even thought of a plan of action and have accepted the idea that having a specific vision is all you need to manifest. I urge you to reconsider. Yes, having a clear, concrete and full of life vision is essential. However, a vision without a plan is just a dream. Here I outline a detailed action plan with five steps that will make your vision a reality.
1. Objective
This will look a lot like the vision you are working towards. It must be clear and very specific. In addition, you must have a clear and realistic date for when you intend to achieve the goal.
2. Milestones
Time to get out a calendar. Work backwards from your goal date and realistically write down all the specific milestones that occurred before the goal. If your vision is to create a website to market your business, a milestone might be “Monday, December 5, 2008 – All content on my website is complete.”
3. Actions
Imagine for a moment that you are playing a ring toss game. Do you think you are more likely to hit your target from 3 feet or from 20 feet? I hope your answer is 3 feet. You’ll have more success when you break your actions down into three-foot pitches. For example, when an author writes a book, he usually doesn’t start trying to build the whole book. While keeping their vision for the finished book in mind, they create an outline. They then build one chapter at a time. Then they edit etc. Assign each action a specific date and time. For example, an action could be “I will call xyz on Monday, December 12, 2008 at 9 am to schedule our next meeting for Monday, December 19, 2008 at 2:30 pm.”
4.Equipment
It’s time to make a list of the people on your team. Your team will be made up of the specific people you will be working with and your support network. For example, if you’re building a website, some people on your team might include your content editor and html programmer. However, don’t just name the position. Name the real people. Also, the support people on your team are people who won’t necessarily work directly on the project, but people you trust to share your vision with. Sharing your vision with people you trust helps put it into action. In addition, I invite you to establish an accountability system with one of the people on your team. Your support may include co-workers who are not directly working on this goal, your life partner, and your best friend. Get their permission to put them on your team. By doing this, you are asking for their support. I also suggest specifically asking them to keep this vision with you and occasionally ask how you are achieving the goal.
5.Resources
Your resources will consist of everything you need to execute your plan. These include people, places, and things. People who may not be on your team but who can be resources are experts in their field who have written articles or books that you can refer to for information. If you’re hosting a seminar, you’ll need a venue to hold it. If you’re hosting a seminar, you may need poster board and an easel.
I warn against stiffness. Keep your agreements with yourself and others and negotiate accordingly if you need to change them. This will allow flexibility within this structure. When you follow this plan while keeping a clear vision, it will help you get out of your comfort zone and take all the necessary steps you have outlined. This is what it takes to achieve your goals!
Copyright 2008 Jason Mannino. All rights reserved