Hi All,
I promised that I’d be expanding on some of the topics mentioned in my last post. Well, here’s the first of those topic-expanding posts. 
Sometimes, when we have a dream, planning and forethought are necessary in order to help us take steps to bring that dream to fruition. Step by step, goal by goal, we come closer and closer to reaching our dream.
Here’s a story to demonstrate this point. Once upon a time, not so very long ago in the early 1960s, there was an ambitious young man named John. He was a highly talented songwriter and musical arranger, and his most pressing dream was to be the primary writer and arranger for the next big folk group. Over the first several years of that turbulent decade, John arranged and recorded several singles and three albums with his three-piece group, but fame and fortune wasn’t exactly coming his way. By 1965, he had formed another singing group with his wife and two friends. In late 65, this group had managed to land a record contract with a top L.A. producer.
One afternoon, the foursome drove out to the famous Hollywood Bowl, and looked down over the city below them. John said, “By this time next year, we’ll have played a concert here, and we’ll have won a Grammy.”
John had a lot of wonderful qualities going for him… talent, ambition, determination, and a strategic plan for reaching his lofty goals. He was more than willing to work hard, painstakingly write and arrange hundreds of songs, tour relentlessly, and do whatever it took to make his dreams come true. John understood that, with enough passion, determination and a solid plan, he was sure to achieve measurable success.
Admittedly, I’m a creative type who sometimes has trouble appreciating the power of planning ahead. But as a businesswoman who creates products, provides services and needs to market myself in order for folks to know what I have to offer them, planning is both a powerful and completely essential component to my success. Planning can be effective for anyone, in any given area of life. Whether you’re planning your next vacation itinerary, drawing up plans for a new home, or even writing today’s grocery list, planning is a great incentive to help you in your forward momentum. In the long run, it also helps to simplify life considerably.
Here are three keys to help you to get your next important dream off the ground, and to assist you in following through with that plan to reach your goals with greater ease.
- Step one, take the time to formulate your plan with care. Sure, even the best laid plans can change sometimes, but nevertheless, it’s better to take the time to complete a thorough plan instead of just slapping something together in five minutes. I know that each time I throw together my grocery list in haste, I will undoubtedly forget to write down something important. We can save ourselves a lot of inconvenience and worry long term by planning carefully and studiously for our projects, big or small. When we do this, we’re almost guaranteed more fruitful results from the start.
- Step two, take consistent action on your plan. Now that you’ve carefully constructed your plan of action, take some action each and every day to help in getting the results you desire. This will be a little easier if you’re planning your grocery list than if you’re planning your European vacation, but in either case, taking action daily will be constantly bringing you closer and closer to achieving your goal, and it will also make you feel great and skyrocket your confidence level. Baby steps are just fine… as long as you’re doing something each day to further the completion of your plan, you’ll be on your way to achieving it!
- Step three, enjoy the journey. Often times our journeys in life can be just as sweet or sweeter than the results we wish to achieve at their completion. Have fun going through your plan. Celebrate your steps, both the big ones and the tiny ones, and revel in all the little successes along the way. In this way, you’ll grow to appreciate and respect yourself more, your confidence will increase, and your success will mean even more to you. So celebrate each accomplishment on your journey, and have fun along the way.
So you’re probably wondering if our friend John reached his goals by following this formula and planning for his success. Well, by the end of 1966, John’s group had celebrated a number one hit with John’s song, “Monday Monday”, had won a Grammy for the song, and had played a sold out show at the Hollywood Bowl. That group, The Mamas and The Papas, became one of the most celebrated groups of the decade, and the members, including that ambitious young song-writer named John Phillips, had a lasting impact on pop music and pop culture.
Creating and following through with a good plan can tremendously increase your potential to achieve your dreams. Planning will also simplify your life considerably, and help you to have a step-by-step approach to reaching your goals. Plan carefully, take action daily, and most importantly, enjoy the journey and have fun with it all! Happy planning!
Love,
Kim
