Make it happen part 6
Your guide to making it happen pt1
In the previous module, we introduced you to the concept of becoming your own pro-active, top-flight manager.
Remember: there is no one better equipped to do this than you.
Let’s now look at specific tactics you can add to your repertoire that will help you achieve your targets – as we explore a guide to MAKING IT HAPPEN
These also complement the strategies you’ll find in the goal-setting programme.
We start in this module by looking at :
- Develop an action plan
- Avoid careless actions
- Develop contingency plans
- Overcoming procrastination
- Develop an action plan
A commitment to a goal must be followed by a commitment to courses of action.
Ironically, the most common reasons people might not achieve their goals is a failure to get started in the first place.
How many times have you had an idea and simply not done anything about it – I know I have…loads of times!
Another reason people don’t succeed is that they get distracted –
‘I was going to the gym but then my friend called and we went for coffee!’
‘I was going to write you that report but there was a great programme on TV’ and so on
another is reverting to bad habits –
‘I meant to stop drinking during the week but I’ve had a tough day today so deserve a drink’
Having a strong commitment to your goal is clearly not enough – you need a strong commitment to a course of action – your Action Plan.
So change your good intention to a strong intention.
Make your ‘shoulds’ ‘musts’.
So ‘I should go to the gym’ becomes
‘I must go to the gym’ and so on.
2. Avoid Careless Action
Another reason people might not achieve their goal is not that they don’t act, but they act carelessly and without enough thought –
they might rush to the first strategy that comes to mind or follow a friend who is already a few stages down the line
The overweight person who wants to get fit and starts by going on long street runs gets injured because their body is just not ready for it –
rather than starting with some non-load bearing exercises such as a cross trainer and then a treadmill, before hitting the streets.
The difficulty of the first action – in this case, the long road run and subsequent injury – puts them off training for a long time.
The same can be said for an impatient injured athlete who tries to come back too quickly and does himself even more damage.
Kelly Holmes had her fair share of injuries, but she demonstrated a sensible approach to her recovery when she said:
“I don’t want to make an irrational decision with an injury.
You just give up on injuries and I am not prepared to do that.
I can’t make my mind up until that is 100%.”
The careless action is also at fault for the businessman who wants to ace that presentation at work and believes he doesn’t need to prepare
because he knows the topic inside out, only to end up messing up.
Once you have your goal and you’re committed to it, take time to think about the best approach and then make sure you have a sensible, progressive and flexible plan.
- Develop a contingency plan
It is always prudent to have a contingency plan in the event that your main plan is either not working at all or is not quite going the way you wanted –
at the very least thinking about the options is sensible.
While a young 12-year-old soccer player who might really want to become a professional, the facts would suggest that it’s also worth them pursuing his studies in the event he doesn’t make it as a pro;
in any case, there’s certainly no harm in being a more educated professional player, and the sheer process of being able to time manage and commit to more than one goal will give him more confidence, self-esteem and help with his own personal development.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that having a backup plan shows a lack of faith in what you’re doing. It doesn’t.
Contingency plans are needed especially if the goals you set are particularly high-risk; having a backup plan will make you more responsible, and allow you to feel more confident and secure.
For example, an English athlete striving to get a scholarship into a top US University, might have a contingency plan of remaining in the UK and applying also to a top university there too.
You could also set a timescale to totally commit to one plan, with the view that if you reach it in a certain time your contingency is not needed, and if you don’t, it is.
- Overcome Procrastination
It’s quite normal for people to put off doing things, and for a whole host of reasons;
many of these reasons may not have any real substance, some are simply delaying tactics.
Why? You may fear the idea of failing…and feel it’s better not to start rather than start and then be seen as a failure.
Or perhaps you just find it hard to get going – that’s ‘activation motivation’.
It’s that ‘mañana’ attitude – I’ll start tomorrow – Next month next year and so on.
I’ve lost count of the number of people who have ‘change plans’ that will start next week or next month.
The thing is that these people are by no means lazy –they just don’t prioritise their objectives or schedule them into a specific timeframe.
There’s nothing like a deadline to achieve your goal, so if you haven’t got one – make one!
As an exercise, in your action plan set yourself specific time slots to do activities, and commit to doing them then. No excuses.
Summary
During this programme we’ve explored many aspects that can help you to MAKE IT HAPPEN – We’ve looked at the factors that can help you achieve your goals and the obstacles that will be there to overcome.
In this module we started on our guide to the tactics you can use that will further help you achieve your objectives and looked at
- Developing an action plan
- Avoiding careless actions
- Developing contingency plans
- Overcoming procrastination
In the next module
We’ll continue to look at more tactics you can use to help you get to where you want to be.
Your Mynd activity
Start to add some real detail to your plans to achieve whatever it is you want to achieve.
Use the four tactics from today’s session to help you create the best strategy and processes that fit in with the way you do things – and font be afraid to really challenge yourself – the sense of pride in doing things that you once feared is incredible.
See you tomorrow