by Michelle Meier RN BSN

Created on: April 17, 2008

Whatever success means to you, whatever you value in life, if you want to achieve it, you need to have a plan. If you want to be the master of your destiny, and refuse to be a victim of life's trials, then you need to be pro-active and take action. I believe in the expression; "come up with a plan that works, and then work your plan." The reality is that wealth, fame, luck, what-have you, rarely falls into your lap. Planning and effort usually requires more than taking a trip to the gas station once a week to buy a lottery ticket (not that there's anything wrong with that). Even the best thought out plans will not be realized without some effort on your part. There is a theory that success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Based on that theory, here are some ideas on how you can take control.

Step 1: Decide what you want

Make a list of things you would like to achieve, this is the inspiration part. You need to be specific, no vague lists like happiness, wealth, and wisdom. It may help to separate out different categories of life for example: health, education, career, community, money, spirituality, etc. Do you want to lose weight, save for retirement, advance to CEO, volunteer, or pursue a degree? There can be several goals in each of these categories as well, be as ambitious as you like. You don't have to work on all of them at once.

Step 2: Break it down: What you need to do.

Once you have your categories and various sub-categories, you need to brainstorm tasks that need to be done in order to achieve them. For example, if you want to focus on the area of health, the subcategories can be: to lose weight, eat healthier, increase fitness and stamina. You may want to join a gym, buy some athletic equipment, take classes or sign up to play on a team. You may join a weight loss program, or develop your own.

Step 3: Break it down more: How and when you're going to do it.

This is where the perspiration comes in, where you act on your plan. What will you do each day to help you achieve your goal? What time frame have you set for yourself? You can make a daily, weekly, and monthly plan of activities: going to the gym, treadmill, tennis, weight training exercises, menu plans and preparation, using multi-vitamins, and checking your weight. Finding ways to fit these tasks into your routine, and giving them priority for a while will help you develop positive habits that will continue long after your focus shifts to another area.

Step 4: Evaluate & Assess: Is it working?

How

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