To review, the Formula for Success is:
1. Clearly state your goal.
2. Have an end date for your goal.
3. Get accountability partners.
4. Take action daily.
5. On the projected date of completion, close down.
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Once you have stated your goal clearly and in writing and stated the date by which you will have achieved your goal, and attained accountability partners, stepped away from negative friends and colleagues, and set up meetings with those who inspire and support you, there are just two more steps to complete success.
4. Take action daily.
“Action is the foundational key to all success.” –Pablo Picasso
The only way to get what you want is through action. You will never achieve the practice of your dreams by hoping or wishing. The Formula for Success certainly has a thinking element to it. The first step is to think and dream and imagine what you want. Then write it down. But then you must act.
a. Take bold action;
b. examine your results;
c. learn from them; and
d. go again.
Take your long-term goal and chunk it down. Let’s say your goal is for the calendar year: January 1 – December 31. (Of course, you can create a one-year goal for any timeframe you like.) First, you set your goal for where you want to be on December 31. Then you break it down into milestones.
- If you will be there on December 31, where will you need to be September 30? June 30? March 31? Write down these quarterly goals.
- Once you have quarterly goals that add up to you achieving the December 31 goal, then break it down further. If you are going to be where you want on March 31, where will you need to be January 31? February 28? Write down those monthly goals.
- And if you will be there on January 31, where will you need to be at the end of this week and the next and the next? Write down those weekly goals.
- And if you are going to be there at the end of next week, what do you need to do today?
You may or may not be the kind of person who likes to have your daily goals in writing. It may feel like too much work. One way to approach daily action is to keep weekly written goals in front of you and then look at them daily and make a concerted effort to take some action every day to move you toward that goal. It is less important how you remind yourself than that you take action daily.
It can also be useful to keep your annual goal in front of you as a guidepost. I put my annual goals up on the wall of my office. They are colorfully printed. I constantly look at my goals and I ask myself, “Is what I am doing right now moving me toward any of those goals?” If not (and often I find I am taking action that is not toward my goals) then I ask myself, “Do I really want to spend time on this if it is not helping me achieve my goal?” This is a great way to stay intentional, purposeful and on track.
Set goals every week; and take daily action toward your goals. And be sure you are stretching outside your comfort zone.
