What Plans Have You Made?

More than halfway through the first month of 2009 how is your plan working for you? Assuming you created a plan to begin with, have things gone the way you planned? It is important that you stop now and consider how things are going. Getting started right is essential to the outcome you will achieve. Plans can be well intended, yet still lead to failure. There are several questions you might want to ask right about now. To begin with, how different are your plans for this year compared to your plans for last year? If you have made no changes in your performance plan for this year then you should not expect a different outcome for yourself. It is amazing how often we continue to do things the way we have always done them and expect to achieve a different result. What have you planned to change in your life and work performance this year?

With that question in mind, how will you know if things are working for you? How are you keeping score? What kind of indicators do you have in place? It is significant for you to have clarity about the success you are achieving while you are in the process of achieving it. From a life standpoint, what signals are telling you that you are growing spiritually? How about for your health and for your relationships? What numbers are you considering as benchmarks for your professional growth? Clarity is essential to confidence. How are you keeping score this year in your life and in your work?

And then of course, the really difficult question: How will you stay consistently accountable throughout this year? What kind of accountability strategy have you put into effect? Who is partnering with you this year to insure the integrity of your performance? It is so easy to make plans. The challenge comes in putting them into practice. I don’t believe consistency is natural. I don’t believe integrity in life is natural. If you don’t do it on purpose, it probably won’t happen. So, stop now and challenge yourself to make it happen. Ask someone to help you in the process. Seek out review. How are you going to stay accountable this year?

It is important to work the right plan. Stop now and make the necessary adjustments. Make this year a purposed creation. Choose to work your plan. Choose to pay attention to the score along the way. And, choose to stay accountable for your performance. Remember, the choice is yours. Stay purposed!