“ WHAT ARE THE TOP FIVE THINGS , RANKED IN ORDER , THAT ARE SPECIFIC AND MEASURABLE THAT MADE IT SUCH A GREAT YEAR ?” they do planning their life .”
I feel very fortunate that in my teenage years , I had several successful people in life underscore the importance of charting my life by the following formula :
a ) Put your goals in writing . b ) Don ’ t pick too many .
c ) Hang a date or indicator of completion on each goal .
d ) Design a written plan on the actions required to achieve each goal .
e ) Measure and record these actions .
f ) Share with others for accountability .
In effect , it ’ s how you organize your view of the future that determines what the future is . It ’ s amazing , and disappointing to hear , that 95 % of people have no written goals . I like setting the table when working with others by asking the following big-four questions :
a ) What do you want in life ? b ) Why do you want it ? c ) When do you want it by ?
d ) What do you choose to do in order to achieve it ?
My long-term good friend Mark Moses introduced a great exercise on this very topic , and one I ’ ve benefitted greatly from . He calls it “ The Crystal Ball Exercise .” You look into a crystal ball and can see into the future to the end of next year . A great year is ahead of you ! Write down what your future holds according to the crystal ball :
a ) Step One – The year 2017 has come and gone , and we “ rocked ” because we achieved the following specific and measurable outcomes . ( See www . jackdaly . net in the Life by Design tab to see my “ rocked ” for 2017 .)
b ) Step Two – What are the top five things , ranked in order , that are specific and measurable that made it such a great year ? These are the indicators that led to the result in step one . ( Again , check mine out on the “ rocked ” page at www . jackdaly . net .)
More often , failure in the future is the result of inadequate imagination in the present . And so , reality is what you make of it . It ’ s all a matter of “ drilling it down .” Take a look . For each of your goals , identify the various actions that will bring the goal to completion . On each goal , ask the following questions in order to leverage success :
a ) What will it take to guarantee that it happens ?
b ) What will stand in the way ? c ) How will we overcome what stands in the way ?
d ) When will it be done ? e ) Who owns it ?
Destiny is not a matter of chance ; it is a matter of choice . Again , visit www . jackdaly . net to see my drilleddown goals , identification of actions , and my reports to my accountability team . While these examples are quite detailed , remember they are a byproduct of doing this process for more than fifty years , and as such , each year has become a little more specific and measurable . When people bust my chops about the level of detail and measurement , I ’ m reminded of this quote by George Bernard Shaw : “ People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are . I don ’ t believe in circumstances . The people who get on in this world are the people who get and look for the circumstances they want , and if they can ’ t find them , they make them .”
Our journey is determined by the choices we make . Our answers are determined by the questions we ask . Our destination is determined by the steps we take . Our future is determined by what we do today .
The time is now to design your magical life ! u
Jack Daly is an expert in corporate culture that inspires audiences to take action in customer loyalty and personal motivation . He delivers explosive keynote and general session presentations . Jack brings 30 + years of field proven experience from a starting base with CPA firm Arthur Andersen to the CEO level of several national companies . Jack is a proven CEO / Entrepreneur , having built six companies into national firms , two of which he subsequently sold to the Wall Street firms of Solomon Brothers and First Boston .
SPRING 2018 | 15