Apparently it was Benjamin Franklin who said ”ïf you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”

I am thinking about this statement in the context of the resolutions that I made for 2025. Strong intentions were articulated and desires were expressed. I even created SMART goals for the two resolutions I felt most invested in. I know what I want to achieve to in 2025 and I have well-articulated goals.
 
So? Now what? This is where old Benjamin has a point – how do we get from here to there? Just muddling along every day is not going to do it. No, we need a plan: a list of things that we need to do to that will result in achieving our SMART goals. In the same manner as a SMART goal focusses the mind on the end result, a plan focusses our attention on the steps that will get us to the result.
 
And........it’s easy – use the following points to assist you:
 Create a timeline with a starting point and end point – you can draw a simple line on a piece or paper or use use some software that visualizes a timeline;

• Put your goal date at the end of the line and “Today” at the start
• Think of everything that you will do between today and your goal date to successfully achieve your goal and plot these tasks in sequence starting from Today to the Goal Date
• Now link realistic and practical dates to each of the actions that you identified
• Finally, think of a small reward for yourself for successfully achieving each task and include it in your plan. Remember, you only get the reward if you complete the task on time!

 
Below is an example of how a plan can be visualized:

And there you have it – your plan to follow to successfully achieve your goal! A detailed plan helps you to easily see when what the interim steps are and when you are getting behind. Keep it in a place that where you will see it every day!
 
Here’s to successfully achieving our goals in 2025!

There is a lot of information on social media about SMART goals; a concept that was introduced by George T. Doran in 1981. A goal written SMART-ly clearly and specifically states what you intend to achieve and by when. This approach creates focus and enables you to track how you are progressing towards what you want to achieve.
 
Interestingly, a whopping 97% of people do not have goals and do not have a plan in place to successfully achieve their goals. This goes a long way to explain why so many people feel that they are stuck in a rut and not making headway in their lives.
 
The acronym SMART, explained in the table below, is used to check that you described your goal in sufficient detail and specifies how you can track your progress towards successfully achieving your goal:

​Most importantly, a goal is written in present tense. It is one of the ways to focus your mind on achieving the goal. When you are satisfied that your goal is written as a SMART goal, make sure that you visualize it and put it in a place where you will see it every day. This is another way to focus your mind on the goal.
 
Here is a practical example using my avatar Pat:
 
To achieve general good health and improve her energy levels, Pat decides to increase her fitness by doing some form of exercise 3 times a week for at least the next 6 months, working up to a duration of thirty minutes.
 
She describes her goal, visualizing her future achievement making sure to write it in the present tense and include all aspects of a SMART goal (at the time of writing her goal it is January 2025)
 
It is 1 July 2025, I walk or cycle for 30 minutes on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
 
Pat checks her goal against the SMART criteria and is satisfied that she has articulated a SMART goal! She is also happy that it is to the point and simple.

Pat writes out her goal in bright colours on a big piece of paper and pins it to the door of her fridge. She is also considering making an image of the goal to use as her screen saver on her cell phone. Talk about focusing the mind!
 
Creating a SMART goal is the first step to successfully attain what you want in your life. You can create goals to improve any area of your life. Pat chose to improve her health. You might want to improve a relationship, progress in your career, increase your wealth or just deliberately go about including some fun and adventure into your life. Start today by writing your own SMART goal – follow it up with a good plan to take you from today to your goal end day – and then do it!