If a new business is to have any chance of succeeding, the proprietor must create a Business Plan and follow it. Without this long range plan , is like a ship on the ocean without a rudder. It would be moving but in no particular direction.
Similarly, every person should develop a personal [business] life plan – short and long term- to map out the direction for their goals. While most people nowadays know the value of a personal business plan and have knowledge of what a business plan should accomplish, but very few translate it to a personal business plan . So, what should be in your personal business plan ?
Like a Business Plan for a business, you must identify and target your personal internal goals in broad terms. This will provide general guidance only and not identify how the goals established will be accomplished. These long range plan that show how the goals will be met are called STRATEGIC plans .
The broader view-personal business plan — identifies space and time for accomplishments for certain tasks you have identified for your life span. For the long term goals, you could look at every five years periodic time. In the shorter term, you could be looking at every year within the five years time blocks. You may write it up to show that by the first five years you would accomplish whatever you have established as a worthy goal-the next five years-ABC etc., until you have accounted for your entire life span.-say 100 years. I hope you live longer than that. You should use a spreadsheet to do this and review it every year or whenever you want to see how you are progressing. By looking at it at regular intervals keeps you focused and provide you the motivation to stay on course and on track.
The strategic plan , however, will have a time element to it. It will show how long it will take, reasonably, to get the tasks you have identified, completed. You should also write what the consequences for not completing them will be. So, considering this long range plan , if by the end of the first year of the five year block, you did not accomplish what you set out in the business plan and the strategic plan , you will have to take a very hard look at what you did and change it a bit to get focused back on track.
This practice creates good discipline within yourself and if you stick to it will pay handsome dividends in your life. You will make remarkable improvement and develop a sound personality.
While there is no –hard and fast– rule for writing a personal business plan , the content you put in it is what really matters. This long range plan , must contain substantial activities that are worthy of accomplishment which would lead you to make valuable progress in your life when accomplished.
Having said all of this, you must NOW take your business plan seriously. It is your map to the future-your future. If you do not give it the respect it deserves you can fail in the long run. And, you do not want to fail!
Here is what you can achieve when you FOLLOW your personal Business Plan
– You will see more opportunities come into your life and will be ready to act upon them
— Your motivation level will be heightened.
— You will become a more enlightened person
— You will become a more authoritative and confident person
— Your leadership skills will improve.
–You will be less stressful and happier since you can see a direction for your life and how you will get there.
So, what do you do NOW?
Get to your desk or table with pencil and paper in hand and start writing your personal business plan . It may take a big push on your part to get started but keep at it-piece by piece-and until you get it all done. But, don’t forget, your plan can be changed as conditions change. But, do not go carelessly and change it at a whim. You will be defeating the purpose of the plan if you do.
Make your personal business plan , your long range plan , and your road map to chart the course of your life in a successful way. You will achieve the success you want if you follow these guidelines. Get going NOW!
