7 Steps that Power the Wow!
Step 1: Vision
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Begin with the end in mind! If you don’t know where you are going it’s hard to figure out how to get there. So start by creating a Vision. Imagine what you would really, really love your future life to be like. Not what someone else thinks would be right for you – what you want. What would make you satisfied, enthusiastic? Reflect on some of the experiences you have enjoyed most. Tune in to your inner dreams. Type in your ideas. Write a paragraph for each major area of your future life (family, career, education, interests, recreation, health, finances, friends, giving to others, spiritual well being, etc.).
Step 2: Brainstorm
Next, Brainstorm the things you could do to make your Vision actually happen. Type them in as you think of them as fast as you can. Don’t bother about spelling or putting them in any order. Running Start™ will help with that later. Aim for at least ten action ideas for each paragraph of your vision.
Step 3: Organize
That’s a lot of ideas to deal with! So Organize them into groups of Objectives that are connected and make sense together. Now you can manage them and get control over your action steps.
Step 4: Prioritize
Not in control just yet? Don’t fret. Running Start™ will help you Prioritize your Objectives so that you figure out exactly what is important to get done first and clears the way for your other Objectives. Give your Objectives names, so you know where you are going with each one.
Step 5: Stage of Accomplishment
You’ve probably already started acting on some of your Objectives, and others you’ve only just thought of. So what points in your journey have you reached? The definitions in “Running Start™” show you how to figure out the Stage of Accomplishment, i.e. exactly where you are in each step. This helps plan where to go next.
Step 6: Identify Constraints, Opportunities
Wow!! This is the really fun part! Running Start™ shows you a Success Matrix that gives you a picture for each Objective and the Stage you have reached compared to your Priority. Are you far enough along on your top Priority, or have you worked on the easy stuff first? What’s getting in the way (i.e. Constraint) of achieving your Vision, and how much more could you get done (i.e. Opportunity)? Even if you are really determined, you just don’t have enough resources (time, energy, money) to do everything at once. So the Success Matrix shows you where to focus and to break through in logical sequence.
Step 7: Action Plan
So far you’ve done a lot of thinking and planning. You’ve done “ready” and “aim” and you’ve earned the right to “fire” – to actually make your Vision come to life. So put it all into an Action Plan. Work with each Objective and sort all the action steps into groups that make up projects. Set “milestones” for each project which keep you on track and alert you to when you are falling behind, so you can decide what to do about it.
Complete all 7 steps, and you’ve got a plan! You know exactly what to get done, and when.
Congratulations, and best wishes for your Personal Life Success Plan!