Plan to win.
We are all aware that the chances of our succeeding in our endeavors are as good as our planning. But beyond planning, what is more important is the action taken. Supposing you decided to do a particular thing last year, had a plan, acted upon it, but failed, is it advisable to have the same action plan for achieving it? No. You have to act differently to achieve it. This means you have to change your plan and change yourself for achieving what you want. This attitude improves your life remarkably. This means you are learning and are flexible enough to change yourself as the situations demand.
Behind successful people, you can see solid and concrete plans. They not only plan, they organize their work and act on their plan. They learn what have to be learned and work methodically to achieve what they want.
But how to go about planning? There is no "one-size-fit-all" method for planning because everyone of us is unique in our own way. You have to evaluate your strengths and your plan must suit your strengths. You should have a step-by-step plan for achieving your goal. This means you have to divide your major goal into smaller and achievable goals. Otherwise, you may get frustrated and discouraged because bigger goals may take more time to achieve. But these smaller goals must also be specific.
You should develop utmost discipline if you want to achieve your goals. You should record your small achievements by keeping a diary or a journal. Never, never trust your memory. It may fail you. If you find there is any deviation, you should immediately take steps to correct the situation. If you suddenly get new ideas, you should immediately write them down in your journal. Sometimes, these ideas just flash and vanish and you will never be able to recollect them. As somebody pointed out, the best success tools are a pencil and a piece of paper.
Be always inspired and enthusiastic. Do internal talking and brainstorm with yourself. Write down your bigger goal and your smaller goals that lead to the bigger one. Have the habit of introspecting daily. At the end of the day, think about the things you did vis-a-vis what you planned to do during the day and also what you learned that day. Then plan for the next day. Do this exercise every day without fail. Have a review during the week ends.
Your goal turns into a magnet that pulls you towards it if you plan like this and act upon it. You should be consistent and persistent in your actions. Your action should be a continuous affair till your goal is achieved.
Act with enthusiasm. This will give you the faith that your burning desire will become a reality. While desire is the rocket, your faith acts as the propellant that carries this rocket to the stars. As the great thinkers said, "seeing is not believing; believing will make you see it". Believe, believe and keep on believing. Success is beckoning you.
