Last modified 20/08/14

A plan for success

by Elizabeth Van Den Bergh

Luck happens when preparation meets opportunity. Also success happens when preparation meets opportunity. I leave it up to you to create the perfect opportunity, but I’ll help you out on the preparation part.

If you want to achieve success, whether it be in your personal or your professional life, you must plan for it.

How you plan for success

First you must develop a clear idea of what you want to achieve. What do you want to do and why do you want to do it? What’s in scope, what’s out of scope?

If your plan is to become the next famous fashion blogger then don’t start blogging about interior design as well, stick to your fashion scope.

At least as important is to visualise your success, make it visible. Envision what success looks like.

The why of your project

Why are you doing this project? The why of your project is very important as it represents the justification of your project. And when the going gets a bit tough, the answer to the why will keep you going.

Also, when you sell your project or your product you will always get back to the why. For example: “I became a fashion blogger because I am passionate about it and I want to share my passion with like minded people, inspire them and get in turn inspired.”

Set S.M.A.R.T. objectives

Once you know what and why. You start setting smart objectives. Smart objectives are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely.

In the example of the fashion blog a smart goal would be: write and publish one blog post a week and establish an audience of 300 readers by the end of the year:

  • It is specific because it is very detailed,
  • It is measurable because you can easily check whether one blog post goes out every week,
  • It is achievable if you manage to be disciplined to do the weekly writing,
  • it is timely because there is a clear and feasible timeline of one blog post a week.

Next step is the action plan, actions against a timeline. But that’s for another blog post.

(photo: SteFou!)