Too often we succeed in failing, yet fail to succeed. We think about achieving a goal, but our preparation and execution let us down. Too many incomplete tasks leave us frustrated and feeling disillusioned. We wish we could achieve more but past failures haunt us. How can we take control, turn a negative into a positive, and put our lives back on track?
The answer is by deploying a new strategy – a 90-day plan to change your life. You need to try harder and smarter and develop a coherent approach so that, this time, you are in control and set up to be successful. Easier said than done, of course, yet eminently achievable.
Why 90 days? Because it’s neither too long nor too short a stretch of time to deliver on a goal. It’s a three-month period in which you can define your mission and execute it.
What Do I Do?
There are five essential points to remember when targeting your goal/s:
Set specific goals
Make sure they are actionable
They must be attainable
Write them down
Have a deadline
You are the Master of Your Own Destiny
With those guidelines, you are on your way towards attaining your goal, but let’s dig a little deeper to see how you can improve your chances of success.
Limit your goals – One major goal should be your target for the next 90 days. Anything else and you’ll lose focus and become sidetracked.
Define your mission – Be specific about what you want to achieve.
Draw up a plan – Outline how you expect to succeed.
Divide your plan into tasks – This breaks down the challenge to smaller parts, and as you accomplish each one you will boost your morale and gain momentum. Don’t create too many tasks, or those dreaded words ‘losing focus’ may rear their heads.
List your priorities – This is an essential guide map to success. Make a list and do not deviate from it.
Stay focused – Don’t allow other projects or people to distract you. This is your plan for the next 90 days and needs your full attention.
Manage your time – You have 90 days, not 89, 77, or 66. Every day is precious and none can be wasted. It may sound like a lot of days, but 90 rolls by pretty quickly. Each task should be built into your time management plan.
Failure Is Not Part of Your Vocabulary
Fear of failure may have dogged in the past. Perhaps you have had a bad experience or two. This time is different. You have set out your goal, broken it up into manageable parts, have clear priorities and a structured timetable. You are the leader, so what can go wrong? Most of all, you have a clear objective and a will to succeed. Failure simply isn’t on the agenda, because you have taken charge.
As Denis Waitley put it so well: “The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with then.”
Remember, you want to be that winner. You will be if you stick with your objectives and are not dissuaded by others, or allow yourself to lose control.
Takeaway
Success doesn’t come easy, you need to earn it. As Booker T Washington put it: “You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles you had to overcome to reach your goals.”
You can really change your life in those 90 days, provided your goal is clear, you have clearly defined priorities that you adhere to and that you are prepared to act within your timetable. You can do it.