Make a Plan

We’ve been talking this week about many things to do, and I can understand how easy it is to get overwhelmed with all the tasks we need to do day-to-day. Yet, we don’t have to do everything at once. With a little mapping and planning, you can balance the load. Checklists and roadmaps that you can develop will go far in helping you to attain your goals.

Can you buy the checklists filled out and ready to go? You can’t. You can’t reach out to some other agency and purchase something that is strictly for you. Can you read books and get help? Yes. Can you draw a map of where you are and where you want to get to and then fill in the steps between here and there? Sure. If you put something on paper, you’re more likely to get to where you want to go. Just remember each individual is different and the chances of your checklist looking like anybody else’s is probably very low. And that is okay. After all, as you go along, you’ll find out it is the trip, not the destination that really matters.

Figure out where you are and what you have. Then figure out where you want to end up and what you will have there. Do your research. Not only finding out about the destination online, find people who actually are there, and talk to them. Find out from them if they are experiencing and doing the things that you want to experience and do when you get to your final destination. You don’t want to take a long trip to somewhere that is going to disappoint you in the end.

Once you know where you are and what you want to do, break the work up into significant milestones. Look at each section is a shorter goal within itself. Understand what you’re working for and why it is essential to your overall goal. And ensure that everybody who’s going with you understands how vital each milestone is to the entire trip.

Everybody’s on a trip to somewhere. If you take the time to document where you want to go, where it will take to get there, and what the benefits and rewards will be once you’re there, you will probably have a smoother trip. A trip that can be a lot more fun and enjoyable.

Thank you for being with me today. I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Author: Mike Balof

A retired Air Force Master Sergeant, Mike used to lay in bed at night and worry about what would happen if his plant closed or found himself without a job. One day his plant closed. Rather than panic and hysteria (OK, maybe a little) Mike found himself carried away on the adventure of his life. Mike started with the best job he ever had working at Home Depot. He spent 8 years working with job seekers at a local workforce center, helping them to find employment. He then started his own company developing courses, writing books and urging others to follow their own paths into the future. Mike holds a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training and a Bachelor of Business Management, earned through the University of Phoenix and an AAS degree in Electronics Systems Technology from the Community College of the Air Force. Mike is a member of the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society. View all posts by Mike Balof