“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
I’ve been in a really good flow. Like, an amazing flow. I can feel the positive changes in my life and all I’m contributing and will be able to contribute sweeping over me. I’ve charted a course for where I want to be in life, and I can feel the fabulous changes underway.
The other night, I was writing a paper for a course in organizational change. I was reviewing a change implementation plan and evaluating the effective and ineffective elements of the plan. One of the most important points of a change implementation plan is benchmarks. Hmmm. Isn’t my personal goal-setting chart pretty much a change implementation plan? I’ve based my goals on my values. I’ve aligned my outcomes with my goals, and therefore my values. I’ve mapped out benchmarks.
And I haven’t looked at the damn thing since I drafted it. Ball. Dropped.
In order to change, you must keep steady focus on the new. I KNOW THIS. That’s how you get to the new place…focus THERE. But if you have no idea where it is you want to be — and if it’s not right in front of you all the time, smacking you in the face (or upside the head for ignoring it), how are you going to keep that vision strong? And how are you going to stop more balls from dropping?
You’re not.
The best laid plans… isn’t there a quote about that? I should probably reference it, but I’d want to kick myself in the ass again. Recovering perfectionist. What are you gonna do?
Well… this is what I’m going to do:
1. Print the damn plan out!
Hello! I have a gorgeous vision board for my visual representations. But I need to see the words – the benchmarks – and note the progress (or lack of) I’m making toward them.
2. Take stock of where I am now.
Gotta know where you are standing before you move toward where you want to be. Even though I’ve already mapped out a great move-your-ass forward plan, it’s important to know where I am each step of the way, too.
3. Make copies of the plan and plaster them up all over the place.
Surrounding myself with the changes I want to be making, together with the vision of where and who I want to be is the best recipe for success. I’d only thrown together the ingredients. Time to really mix that batter up and bake it.
It’s okay to drop the ball. Just pick the damn thing up again.