The right plan.
I believe with every fiber of my being that you need more than a plan to achieve your goal, make a change or thrive through transition – you need the right plan. The right plan is one that contains consistent authenticity.
This is the type of authenticity that has every bit of “you” (or your team) laced throughout your plan. After all, the key component to getting across that finish line is…you. A successful plan where you cross the finish line in celebratory form – being showered with champagne of course – is dependent upon things like your mindset, your definition of success, your measurement of success, your inventory and optimization of existing tools and resources, your acknowledgement of what realistic action steps look like, your commitment to those action steps, your ability to adjust and then readjust for inevitable challenges, your strength to cast away limiting beliefs that will try to sabotage forward progress, your personalized accountability structures to keep you on track. See the theme? If the entire “you” is not woven throughout each step of the plan you stand a higher chance of getting stuck, veering off course or worse yet failing to launch.
If it sounds overwhelming, I promise you, it’s actually the remedy for feeling overwhelmed. Yes, the process of creating an authentic plan is certainly a deeper dive than writing out your weekly grocery list but doing the “work” of identifying your custom components to support success will alleviate whatever it is that’s holding you back and launch you into forward progress.
Creating an authentic plan is a process but it doesn’t have to feel daunting! Here are a few key prompts to get you going:
1. Clarify what you want your outcome to be
Spend some time on this one and really think about it because it’s the foundation of your plan. Make sure you are really connected to this statement. For example, you may want to lose weight. But if you give some deeper thought as to why you want to lose weight, what it would change for your life and envision what losing weight would look and feel like – all of a sudden there is a boatload more clarity. What you may find out is that you want to lose weight by living a sustainable, healthier lifestyle so you can keep up with your kids and lower your risk for diabetes which runs in your family.
2. Define what success looks like and how you will measure it
Once you have clarified your desired outcome, it’s time to figure out how you will define success. It’s also important to remember that success can be found at several points along the way and is not something to be saved just for finish line celebrations! For example, there are many non-scale victories on the journey to a healthier lifestyle. Which ones are meaningful to you? What will your victories look like at each step of the way? And how will you know when you get to the finish line?
3. Take inventory of your current resources and tools
Instead of focusing on what you don’t have to support your outcome, identify what you do have. For example, you may already have knowledge of low sugar diets, a solid support system, the ability to dedicate time to meal planning and a love of Pinterest to search for recipes. What do you have that is already at your grasp? What is the low hanging fruit that you can access with ease?
4. Acknowledge and develop realistic action steps
This doesn’t have to be a daunting task…it just has to be realistic. You just finished identifying your easy to access resources in the previous step so here is where you can put those into action. You love to search recipes on Pinterest and you have time to dedicate to meal planning? Great, then start pinning your heart out and create a schedule for weekly meal planning!
5. Build relevant accountability structures
This doesn’t have to be a daunting task…it just has to be realistic. You just finished identifying your easy to access resources in the previous step so here is where you can put those into action. You love to search recipes on Pinterest and you have time to dedicate to meal planning? Great, then start pinning your heart out and create a schedule for weekly meal planning!
6. Maintain the right mindset
Your mindset may change at different points along the way but having the right one is the key to your success. Sometimes a reset, or reframe, is needed which is completely normal. When those limiting beliefs start to creep in, point yourself back to the foundation of your plan and gently remind yourself why you started. List the facts about what you want or how far you’ve come rather than what is still left to conquer.
With these six steps you are well on your way to creating an authentic plan – one that is a direct reflection of you and everything you need to be successful!