Written By: Jesse Morris, Owner – We Book Travel, LLC
It is said that goals are the first steps toward planning for the future. They give us direction, motivation and help to define success. I bet you knew that already. So why is it so hard for people to come up with goals and plan to them? I think it’s because we tend to overcomplicate and overthink. Great is the enemy of good and if our goals and plans aren’t great then we aren’t ready to implement it.
I got a call recently from another agent who said they were struggling with their sales. They felt that Wave season wasn’t going very well for them. I asked “Whats your goal?” They did not have one.
Andrew Carnegie once said “If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes.”
And so I dug further. “How do you know you aren’t doing very well if you don’t know what your goal is? How do you define what good is?” They agreed that a goal would be helpful but weren’t sure where to start. Goals do not have to be complicated but they do need to be something that drives you. Having a goal with no ambition to achieve it is useless. It all starts with why you do what you do. What about planning travel makes you happy? What gets you out of bed in the morning? What inspires you? Next comes the plan. A goal without a plan is just a wish. What is your plan for achieving your target?
Pablo Picasso once said “Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.”
This is why it’s so critical to have goals tied to passion, energy and inspiration. Otherwise your plan is just a set of directives. A plan doesn’t have to be a step by step daily process (even though that does help). The best plans work backward toward a milestone that you are attempting to achieve with decided action steps required to reach them. The best plans are action oriented, measurable and have follow through with check points to ensure you are on track.
Goals and plans come in many shapes and sizes. There are short term goals and long term goals and both are important. Most people cant sell a million dollars in one trip, but if you want to be a million dollar producer then you need bite sized goals that complement that and a plan to achieve those smaller pieces weekly. Being a million dollar producer by itself isn’t a goal, its an outcome of the planning and implementation that you put into place. Its the roof of the house that your foundation is built upon. That foundation is your daily and weekly targets.
Do you struggle with setting goals and putting together your plan to achieve them? What parts of your plan are you most proud of? Please share your thoughts with me at [email protected]. I would love to hear from you!