Personal Success Means Starting the Year with the End in Mind   Frank Barnhill M.D.
 

By now, you’ve probably guessed the number two reason: those who fail often fail to plan.  Having a plan for life is like buying a roadmap before you try to drive somewhere on vacation.  There’s just one problem; In order to get somewhere, you have to know where you are going.  Then, the roadmap comes in handy, because you know where to go and how to get there.

People who are highly successful in life go one step further.  They not only plan where and how, but when.  They literally start every New Year with the end in mind.  Simply put, they plan all of their work, personal life and energies on a time schedule so that they will meet their goals by the end of the year.  Some go further with two year, five year and ten year plans.  Some like three or six-month time schedules, but most successful persons have a written plan for their year.

If you decide upon goals for the year, then by all means set start dates along with your completion date at the end of the year.  Making goals to be met by the end of the year, without setting a start date, is the same as never playing the game.  The preparation means nothing if you don’t take the risk of winning or losing.  And yes, everything in life carries risk.

Now, why should you start the New Year with the end in mind?  Oh, there are dozens of potential reasons: doing so will reduce or prevent unneeded stress and anxiety, maybe help you make more money by the end of the year, help you get that promotion, let you spend more time with the family, and even give you a healthier life with loads of self esteem.  Do you get the picture?

No matter whom you work for, ultimately you work for yourself and you choose the path you take in life.  You must first decide where you want to be at what time in your life.  Then you can work on traveling your chosen path to that goal.  So a good New Year’s plan includes a goal, to be met at a specific time, with a specific start date and lastly a roadmap on how to get there.  Otherwise, you really can’t get there from here!

If you truly wish to be successful in life, start your New Year with the end in mind.

drhuggiebear, drhuggiebear.com and contained materials are the copyrighted and/or registered properties of Frank Barnhill, M.D. and may not be reproduced for profit without the express written permission of the author.  All materials may be photocopied in whole for educational use.  For information please contact us at drfrank@drhuggiebear.com.