“To change your life, you have to change the way you think. Behind everything you do, is a thought. Every behavior is motivated by a belief. Every action is promoted by an attitude. Be careful of how you think. Your life is directed by your thoughts!”

- John Wright

John Wright Speaking Video

Spring Into Action

5 Goal Planning Strategies to take you from Dream to Reality

For most of the country, we are emerging from the very dark, white, cold winter. Certainly one of the worst in my memory, and I am 137 years old. (A little leftover April Fools Day humor).  But, I did get a hint of spring in the air today.  Spring is the time of preparation, and as Russell Wilson said so appropriately following the Super Bowl, the Separation is in the Preparation.  Spring is a time when we till and plant.  And, it all starts there.  Without the tilling, the soil preparation, and the planting, there will be no harvest.  With that as a backdrop, I’d like to review what I consider a true north principle:

Rarely does much significant happen in our lives unless we prepare for it.

And this preparation could be summed up in two phrases — Definiteness of Purpose and Goal Planning.

Napoleon Hill said that Definiteness of Purpose is the starting point of all greatness.  The reason that 95% of all people really don’t reach any significant greatness is simply that they never decide where and when they are going.

The discussion that I consistently use when talking about goal planning is found on page 36 of his book, Think and Grow Rich.  It’s entitled, “Six ways to turn desires in to Gold.”

Here is my take on it.

  1. You must decide what you want, and have a burning desire to accomplish it.  The term burning desire came from when the Vikings attacked Great Britain.  The captains of the Viking ships burned their ships behind the attacking Vikings when they hit the shore.  They had two choices — attack, win the battle and LIVE. Or, lose the battle, and with no retreat back to their ships, DIE.   Most of our goals don’t involve life or death outcomes.  Nevertheless, if you want to accomplish something, you need to REALLY WANT it.  In other words, have a burning desire to accomplish it.
  2. You must be willing to give something up.  This is key, a deal breaker.  It’s great to have a burning desire to accomplish something, but unless you decide what you are going to give up to accomplish what you want, it’s NOT going to happen.  Every choice we make means we are not choosing something else.  Something has to change, something has be left behind in order to move forward.
  3. You must set a deadline.  A goal without a firm date to accomplish it is a dream.  Not that dreams aren’t important. (That’s often where our goals begin.)  But without a deadline, it’s just a nice idea that could happen someday.
  4. You must have a written plan.  One wouldn’t build a house without a plan to follow.  Our goals need a formal plan with clear steps for what’s next.  Spend some serious time putting this down on paper.
  5. You must know your plan.  Read it twice per day.  So many people think this is not important, but what a mistake that is.  Reading it twice per day, first thing in the morning and last thing before going to bed, BURNS it into your subconscious, and our subconscious works 24 hours per day.

So celebrate this spring by tilling your mental soil, and planting the seeds of goal planning so that you will reap the harvest this fall.