Hi Friend,
Anyone that knows me would agree that I love to see people win. I remember one of my good friends saying, “Tiffany, if I sit here and fold this napkin, you are going to cheer me on and tell me I am the best napkin folder in the history of napkin folding, and I love that about you.” (giggle)
Although I love to see people win, I am adamant about there being a purpose behind what you’re working towards. In other words, I want to see you win at goals that are taking you somewhere.
If you are going to “fold napkins,” I hope there is careful planning and intention behind it. For instance, you may be an event planner who is very particular about even the smallest of details, and you are folding napkins to place at the guest tables to wow the guests. You aren’t folding napkins just for the sake of folding napkins. It fits into your plan to offer your client and their guests a special experience.
I’ve learned that success is not accidental; it is strategic and intentional. Many people want to be successful, but very few plan for that success.
I love the scripture found in Proverbs 21:5, which says, “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity. But hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.”
I took this scripture to heart in January of 2020 because I got tired of spinning my wheels and doing busywork that was leading me nowhere.
So, I started the year at a Rock your Vision workshop, where I wrote out some general goals and a few breakthrough goals that had been spilling over every year that I never completed. In the middle of a pandemic, I achieved every breakthrough goal that I set for myself.
Friend, I am not sharing this to brag about myself (because although I soared in a few areas, I dropped the ball in other areas that had to take a back seat). The truth is although I achieved every breakthrough goal I set for myself, I didn’t achieve every goal I set.
I realize that the reason I hit those specific goals was that I had a P-L-A-N.
And I want you to start this year with a plan too, so I made it simple for you.
Here’s how to commit to your goal(s):
P- Prioritize your time based on your specific goal.
Based on my priority of completing my book, a lot of nights, the dishes were left in the sink, and the house wasn’t as clean as I would have liked it to be. But I had written my goals down, and I stuck with my goal.
L- Limit distractions.
I had to be clear on time wasters and energy-draining activities that stole my time but didn’t get me closer to my overall goal.
A- Accountability.
Accountability is a great way to stay on track. I had to ask a few people to stay on me and remind me to write and not accept any excuses I tried to give.
N- Be aware of what is a need and what is a want.
Sometimes out of fear, we will start thinking about all the things we (think) we need in order to achieve something. Or, we will not start because we feel we lack some important component that we must have before we begin.
I could have easily thought I needed to take a book writing class and prolonged the process even longer, but that would have been fear holding me back out from feeling inadequate. The truth is I didn’t need anything other than a laptop and Microsoft Word to start my book.
I hope this little acronym helps you to simplify your goals.
Do you know what you’re aiming for in 2021? (Leave a comment if you wanna share :))
No matter if it’s spending more focused quality time with your kids and/or spouse, or finding out what foods you may be allergic to, or finally losing the baby weight in order to fit into your pre-baby clothes.
No matter what your goal is, make sure you are intentional about planning to succeed.
I don’t want you out there folding napkins without being able to explain how it’s getting you closer to a specified goal. Don’t nobody got time for that. :)
To your PLANNED success,
Tiffany