3 Reasons having a plan isn’t enough

When I decided I was going to start my own business, the first thing I did was a business plan. I spent quite a bit of time developing the plan, including quite a bit of research and the ever so fun cash flow projection. There are several reasons why this plan, and many others I’ve done, weren’t successfully executed. Here are 3 reasons why creating a plan, either for your business or any other goals isn’t enough:

1. Lack of actionI have been here so many times I ought to own the t-shirt! 😉 All jokes aside, how many of us can relate to taking the time to put together a plan but never doing anything with it. Whether it was because I didn’t believe in the plan, or a fear of failure, there have been times when the plan hasn’t made it past the laptop that I wrote it on. Being willing to take action with the plan we have created is a necessary requirement. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about putting intentions “out there” but without consistent action, any plan isn’t worth anything at all. Often the plans we create require us to do things we’ve never done before and that can be scary. If you don’t try though, you’ll always wonder what if and life is too short to live with regrets of the things we haven’t done!

2. No progress checkIt has been said that successful people don’t just write down their goals, they create a plan, take action and review the plan consistently. I know I’ve fallen into this trap as well. I’ve written down my goals, created a plan to make it happen and then gone off to make things happen, totally losing sight of the plan. Needless to say that when I get to the end of the year, I haven’t made the progress I planned to make, if any at all. How many times does life happen and then we lose focus on our goals and never get back to them? If this sounds familiar, make a commitment to check on your goals and revisit the plan at least on a quarterly basis!

3. Lack of accountabilityIt can be challenging to be our own motivator all the time. Some people are able to establish laser-like focus on their goals without the support of others, but many of us need an occasional nudge. Those nudges are necessary when we get to a point where we have to do something that requires us to step outside of our comfort zone. We often need to be reminded of why we committed to the goal in the first place and that we are capable of more than we think. We can find accountability in formal or informal ways. Whether it’s finding an accountability partner or hiring a coach or mentor, making sure you have someone to support you in the pursuit of your goals is a must!

There’s a quote that says that a goal without a plan is just a dream. I think that a plan without action, review or accountability is just a dream in written form. Join me for a goal planning workshop happening on Tuesday January 10^th where we’ll not only work on the plan for 2017, but also how to make sure it moves from the plan to reality! It is possible; you just have to be ready to do what it takes. Are you ready?