by Jim Rohn | Dec 31, 2017
Our results are only
as good as our plan.
My mentor Earl Shoaff
taught me that it’s not what happens that determines the major part of our
future—because what happens, happens to us all. Instead, he taught me that the
key is what we do about it. If we start the process of change by developing a plan,
doing something different the next year than we did the previous year, it won’t
matter how small those efforts start. Start doing different things with the
same set of circumstances—the ones we’ve always had and cannot change—and see
what miracles occur. If we start the miracle process and change ourselves,
then everything changes. And here’s what is interesting: The difference between
failure and success is subtle.
Let me explain by
giving you my definitions of failure and success: Failure is a few judgment
errors repeated every day. The man says, “Well, I didn’t walk around the block
today and it didn’t kill me, so it must be OK.” No, no, it is that kind of
error in judgment that after six years has him out of breath and panting as he
walks from his car to his office. You can’t make those kinds of mistakes. It
will cost you.
Now, here is my
definition of success: a few simple disciplines practiced
every day. Do you see the distinction? A few disciplines… Here’s a
little phrase we’ve all heard, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” And my
question to you is, “What if that’s true?” How simple and easy is that plan?
The fact is, when you
look at successful people, you will almost always discover a plan behind their
success. They know what they want, they work out a plan that will get them
where they want to go, and they work their plan. It is the foundation for
success.
As humans, we have the
unique ability to affect change in our lives. It is through our own conscious choice when
we engage in the miracle process of
personal development that we are able to transform our nature
and our lives.
I want this year to be
a success for you—a smashing success—and we know that means you need to have a
plan, and then methodically work that plan. The combination of materials, your
open attitude toward learning and your diligence to follow a plan that is right
for you will make this year the kind of success we know you want it to be. So
let me challenge you to be no less sincere, no less committed to the advancement of your philosophy,
the set of your sail, your plan.
So, what are some good
ideas on developing a plan that will work well and take you to the finish line
powerfully? Here are the five major points to keep in mind:
1. Develop the right plan
for you.
Some people are very
detail-oriented and are able to closely follow an intricate plan. Others are
less detail-orientated, which is OK, too.
So what plan is the
right plan? The plan that fits you. Each of us is
unique and motivated by different factors and you’ve got to develop a plan that
is right for you and fits you. Some plans will not be as intricate as others,
but we all must have a plan, along with goals in that plan, to move us along.
If you are a free spirit, don’t tell yourself you are going to spend two hours
a day with a book and a journal. It probably won’t happen and you will just get
discouraged. Whatever your personality, your strengths and your weaknesses,
develop the plan around them. This is not a one-plan-fits-all proposition.
2. Establish times to spend on
it.
It might be every
Sunday night. It might be 20 minutes each morning or at lunch at before bed. It
might be in the car listening to CDs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Whatever it is, set the times and do it. In your step-by-step plan, put down
points that you can accomplish every week. They should be specific and
achievable. Develop the discipline and take those steps every day, which will
move you closer to your goals.
Take notes. Mr. Shoaff
taught me not to trust my memory, but to write it down, to find one place to
gather the information that affects change. And that advice has served me well
all these years. Record the ideas and inspiration that will carry you from
where you are to where you want to be. Take notes on the ideas that impact you
most. Put down your thoughts and ideas. Brainstorm with yourself on where you
are going and what you want to do. Record your dreams and your ambitions. Your
journals are a gathering place for all the valuable information that you will
find. If you are serious about becoming wealthy, powerful, sophisticated,
healthy, influential, cultured and unique, if you come across something
important, write it down. Two people will listen to or read the same material
and different ideas will come to each one. Use the information you gather and
record it for further reflection, for future debate and for weighing the value
that it is to you.
4. Reflect.
Create time for reflection—a
time to go back over, to study again the things you’ve learned and the things
you’ve done each day. I call it “running the tapes again” so the day locks
firmly in your memory and serves as a tool. As you go through the material in
this plan, you will want to spend time reflecting on its significance to you.
Take a few minutes at the end of each day and go back over the day: who you
talked to, who you saw, what they said, what happened and how you felt. Every
day is a piece of the mosaic of your life.
Next, take a few hours
at the end of the week to reflect on the week’s activities. Also during that
weekly time, take a few minutes to reflect on how this material should be
applied to your life and circumstances. Take a half day at the end of the month
and a weekend at the end of the year so that you’ve got it, so that it never
disappears, to ensure that the past is even more valuable and will serve your
future well.
5. Set goals.
Remember that your
plan is the roadmap for how you are going to get to your goals, so you have to
have them. Of all the things that changed my life for the better (and most
quickly), it was learning how to set goals. Mastering this unique process can
have a powerful effect on your life, too. I remember shortly after I met Mr.
Shoaff, he asked me if I had a list of my goals, and of course I didn’t. He
suggested to me that because I lacked a set of clearly defined goals that he
could guess my bank balance within a few hundred dollars… and he did! Well, Mr.
Shoaff immediately began helping me define my view of the future, my dreams. He
taught me to set goals because it is the greatest influence on a person’s
future and the greatest force that will pull a person in the direction that
they want to go. The future must be planned, well designed to exert a force
that pulls you toward the promise of what can be.
What separates the
successful from the unsuccessful so many times is that the successful simply do it. They take action. They aren’t necessarily
smarter than others; they just work the plan. The time to act is when the
emotion is strong. Here’s what happens if you don’t: The Law of Diminishing
Intent. We intend to act when the idea strikes us, when the emotion is high,
but if we delay and we don’t translate that into action fairly soon, the
intention starts to diminish, diminish and a month from now it’s cold and a
year from now it can’t be found. So set up the discipline when the idea is
strong, clear and powerful—that’s the time to work the plan. You must capture
the emotion and put it into disciplined activities and translate it into
equity. And here’s what is interesting: All disciplines affect each other;
everything affects everything. That’s why the smallest action is
important—because the value and benefits that you receive from that one little
action will inspire you to do the next one and the next one… So step out
and take action on your plan, because if the plan is good, then the results can
be miraculous.
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