New Year

“Your achievement can be no greater than your PLANS are sound.” ~ Napoleon Hill

What’s possible for you in 2013? Well, quite frankly, I believe ANYTHING is possible for you in 2013, once you are clear on a vision and have a solid plan on which to move forward.

Without a vision, plan and action steps, it may be a challenge in getting to where you’d like to go in your business or your life. When I start working with a new client, I’ll ask them, “Where would you like to be in six months, or a year, or 3-5 years?” And so often, it’s not something that they have thought about or are even very clear about. And if you’re not clear on where you’re going-you most certainly won’t get there.

I’ve experienced that in my own business, where I either didn’t create a plan to help me achieve or get to a place I wanted to be, or I didn’t stick with the plan. Both of these are crucial to your success. Not only do you need a plan-you must stick to the plan, which can sometimes be very challenging for entrepreneurs who have “bright-shiny-object syndrome.”

Many people this time of year start thinking about New Year’s resolutions, but I must say I have found for me and my clients, that reflecting, visioning and creating a roadmap to get there, have more staying power than creating New Year’s resolutions.

Visioning is the first step to planning. You have to know where you’d like to end up, before you can write the plan. So, take out a piece of paper and give yourself the luxury of taking 15-20 minutes to do this exercise.

Step 1- Create a vision for yourself and your business.

Imagine that it is December 31, 2013 and you are going to write yourself a letter talking about all that you accomplished in 2013. Where do you live, what do you do, who are you doing it with, how much money did you make, where are you working, who are you working with, what do your clients look like? The more details you can provide in your letter the better.

Don’t judge yourself as you write. Whatever comes to mind put it down on the paper. Do not worry if what comes up doesn’t seem possible, or you can’t afford it, or you can’t figure out “how” you would accomplish it. Just write the letter in present tense and pretend the date is December 31, 2013.

Step 2- Fold it up, put it in a sealed envelope.

Mark on the outside of the envelope your name and Vision 2013-then put it somewhere safe, in your desk drawer, dresser drawer-someplace where you won’t lose it.

Step 3- Mark a reminder in your calendar or smartphone

Put the reminder on December 30 or 31st of 2013. The reminder will say, “Find your vision letter for 2013”. After you’ve read the letter, note what actually happened, what’s different between reality and your vision, and be grateful for all of it. Then rinse and repeat, by writing a new letter to yourself putting yourself at December 31, 2014.

Now that you’ve created a vision for 2013, you may want to put some action steps into place with timelines that will help ensure you get there. If you feel you’d like some support and guidance on doing this, be sure and sign up for my teleclass, “Planning for 2013-Your Best Year Ever!” on Thursday, January 3, 2013. It costs you absolutely nothing except your time and commitment to showing up and I can guarantee, it will get you started on the right foot for a successful 2013!

Register here and I look forward to seeing you on the call!

Mandy works with talented, high energy self employed professionals and very small businesses who struggle to market their business effectively, stretch their capacity and play a bigger game. Mandy’s client’s receive proven, specific information on what they need to do to get more clients and grow their business. As a result, those who coach with Mandy increase their business, get more clients and make more money, faster and easier than they ever would have on their own. .Sign up for her free Cd “7 Productivity Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs” right down below. Name: Email: