Transform Your Life: Taking "I should" to "I did"

There was a study done a long time ago on some graduates.  They asked the class who wanted to be a millionaire, and counted the hands (no surprise, the majority).

They then asked the same class who had a written out action plan to achieve that goal.  2% raised their hand.
To nobody's surprise, 2% of the students were millionaires when they followed up this study years later.


So, how do you create an action plan that will achieve your goals?  Well, step one is of course, finding out what your goals are. 

After that, you simply extrapolate and quantify them.  That is, take them apart into their smallest, definable components.  "be rich" for example, might have "have $15,000 coming in every month passively" as a component, which would then be broken down and specified into "from artwork" which would then have "marketed by", "purchased by" etc etc.

If there are items you do not know how to achieve, simply write "learn (blank)" and preferably from what source, or, "have partner X do activity Y for compensation Z" if you are in the mood to leverage your time.
The next step, is simply adding due dates, benchmarks and the like.  Their purpose is to let you know that you're on track, or if things need adjusting.  Don't beat yourself up over missing a deadline, but recognize the impact that missing that deadline will have, and adjust accordingly.


"So, basically, have a big to do list?"

Not exactly, no.

You want to have your passion-driven desired outcome, and an understanding that you're working towards it via these little pieces, and you want to know that you're on schedule, or, if not, how to fix it.  You'll want to know that its possible, and that it isn't hopeless (because you're right where you should be).

Also, without a plan, you will be unable to properly prioritize what you should be doing.  You'll aimlessly walk from project to project, not knowing if you should be putting in more effort into any particular one.  Should you be spending more time learning bookkeeping, or practicing your sculpture?  Should you be reading a book on Internet marketing, or researching which firm to hire for that?   Should you become an affiliate, or should you open an advertising agency?


A plan provides clarity.  Clarity provides a purity of purpose and a refined methodology.


Sensei's Challenge:
Take an abstract plan or idea of yours, and see how specific you can make it.  Be courageous!  Fear will tell you that it is a waste of time, but the real reason is because you don't have all the pieces finished, and failure is terrifying.  What if you really don't know what you're doing?

Write it all out, fear-free.

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts

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