I Didn’t Accomplish My Goals Because Of This…
I didn’t accomplish the goals I’d set because, quite simply, I didn’t have a plan. Every year, a big deal was made about resolutions and like most other people, I thought about them and even said some of them out loud. But, I didn’t do much with them. I was young. My memory worked just fine and I wasn’t going to forget.
I would simply wake up, perform the activity, and then POW, BANG, before you know it, I’d meet the goal, right? At least that was how it played out in my mind. Then I discovered something…it wasn’t working.
So, I came up with another idea. If I just wrote a long list of stuff I wanted to do, then I would focus on it and it would happen. I did that for a few years. To be quite honest, I did accomplish some things. But, they were nowhere near the magnitude of things I wanted to accomplish.
However, I didn’t pay much attention because there were some pretty big things happening which masked the misses. I got married. HUGE! I mean YUUUUGE! Best day ever!
I got my Master’s degree! Over 9 years of work completed. YES! (Yeah, it took that long, but that’s another story)
I started a side business and we became recognized as Top 3 in the country in our specific niche. WOOHOO!!!
Then, I had my first child. PHENOMENAL!! My princess had arrived and I was ecstatic.
These were some of the most amazing moments of my life. But, I was still cruising. I wasn’t crushing it. I was cruising. I’d stopped setting major goals because good things were happening. I’d stopped focusing on growth because it was obvious that I was growing. Right?
Well, I was growing. But, I could have grown faster if I’d had one thing…a plan. Truth was, I didn’t. Sure, I’d sat with my dad and periodically a mentor or two. But, I didn’t have a solid plan I was following. And a part of that was because I was still figuring it out. I had things I wanted to do but I was so nervous about choosing where to go first. I did a lot and accomplished a lot but honestly, too much of it was by accident.
Then, it changed. In 2012, I hired my first business coach., a guy named George Watson. One of the first things he stressed was coming up with, guess what, A PLAN!! We got to work. Every week, he pounded me about the plan. We started out with a one page business plan. We began working that plan and I found myself pushing past blocks I never realized I had. I began to see myself more powerfully and not just as a part of the crowd. I began to recognize who I really was. My business? I generated more than a quarter-million dollars in revenue and then…it failed. I followed the plan to some degree but made some bad decisions. And the business blew up and put me in debt. Lots of it.
But here’s what happened. Instead of panicking, I realized I needed to look back at the plan and re-evaluate. I not only needed a business plan. I needed a life plan. I realized I was planning for only one area of my life and missing out on the rest. Some people talk about work-life balance. This is a setup. It’s all life and we’ve got to create a plan that addresses all areas. Will you be perfect in every area? No. Will you accomplish what you intend in every area? Of course not! But, what I’ve discovered is planning in one area only while leaving all of the others to chance is a recipe for chaos.
You’re probably waiting for the part of the story where I tell you I’ve generated millions of dollars in revenue and achieved massive success in every area of my life simply because I came up with a plan. Well, it hasn’t happened yet. I’m still in comeback mode. But here is what HAS happened. Generating a plan has allowed me to be more organized and focused. Generating a plan has allowed me to be more considerate and intentional about more areas of my life and pay attention to the ones that matter most. Generating a plan and EXECUTING on that plan has allowed for traction in the areas necessary for my personal success.
This is resulting in less stress, more happiness and more time to focus on what I’m after.
This year alone, based on that plan, I’ve completed 2 book projects, launched one book, written more content than in the past 3 years combined, created more family time, released some of the stressful activities which consumed me and become more focused and strategic. And, that’s just a part of the the story.
Mine is a story in progress! But, I know I’m not the only one on the journey now! So, I’ve created a plan and I continue to revisit the plan, tweaking for success as I learn more.
What about you? Do you have a plan? If not, would you like to create one?
I’m working with some people to help them create their plan for 2017. I’d love to help you also. Interested?
Did you like this post? Tap the ❤ below as one way to share with your friends!
About The Author
My name is Robert Kennedy III. I’m a leadership and communication speaker, trainer and author. I recently released 7 Ways To Know You Were Meant To Lead on Amazon. Connect with me on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn or Facebook.
