(This is the first article of three in a series of posts written to help you have the best year ever in 2017. Once you have figured out exactly where you are going, click here to create your winning plan, and then click here to discover how to finally get leverage in your practice)
Do you really know where you are going?
I remember when I was a child and my parents used to drive around South-Africa to see other family and friends (pre satellite-navigation times).
Whenever my dad was driving he’d always pretend like he knew exactly where he was going – but in reality, he wasn’t completely sure.
Sure he’d have a rough idea, he knew we needed to get to a specific town or city, but he didn’t have absolute clarity on the route.
We always got there – eventually, after a few wrong turns and time spent trying to figure out which way to go.
But it makes you think, just how much time and energy could have been saved if we’d have known the exact route to where we were going beforehand?
The same can often be said about our practices….
We’re so busy working in the practice, fighting fires, dealing with issues as and when they arise, that we lose focus on exactly where we are going, and how we’re going to get there.
Ask yourself – do you really know exactly where you are going in your practice?
If yes, fantastic! If no, please carry on…
In order to answer this question, and for absolute clarity on where you are going, there are 2 things that you need to have in place:
What do I want for my personal life?
This one is absolutely key – and it’s the one most people tend to miss out.
Never mind your practice or anything else like that, what is it that you want for your personal life?
What do you want? And more importantly, what don’t you want?
Here’s a personal example…
3 or 4 years ago when I sat down to figure out exactly what I wanted for my personal life, one of the things that came up was that I wanted a lifestyle where me and my family could travel the world at any time (if we wanted) but still be able to work.
And literally last month, we came back having spent 2 months living and working in Malaga, Spain.
And for me, that was the point where me and my wife realised that we had achieved the lifestyle that we wanted. We are now in a position where we can work, and travel the world at the same time.
Now this is going to be different from person to person.
I’m not saying that you should all try to move abroad and work (it doesn’t come without its challenges!)
What I am saying is that this part right here is a massive key, and can be the difference between you having an average year, or having your best year ever.
Here are a couple of ideas for you to think about:
- How much time do you want to spend in work?
- Where do you want to work?
- Do you want more time for your friends and family?
- What hobbies/sports might you want to start or do more of?
It’s up to you to find time in your busy diary to sit down and really decide exactly what you want for your personal life.
And once you have that figured out, and written down on paper, then you can move on to the next step…
How can I build my practice/business to support this lifestyle?
You have your ideal lifestyle figured out – now it’s time to build your practice to support it.
When you come at it from this angle, you will find that you start prioritising the most important things and not wasting time on things that won’t help you towards this goal.
What activities can you focus on?
What shifts do you need to make in your practice?
For example, if your ideal lifestyle is to be only working 3 days a week, what systems, people, and structures do you need to put in place for that to happen?
If your lifestyle just involves spending more time with family and friends, what changes can you make to how you manage your time in order to do this? Do you need to delegate more? Do you need more staff?
When you start asking these types of questions the answers will come to you.
And again – in order for this to work you need absolute clarity.
You need a written down (ideally one-page) plan clearly showing exactly what you need to do in order to achieve your chosen lifestyle.
How to create your winning plan for 2017
Once you have figured out exactly where you are going, you’re going to need a plan to get there…
In order to have the best year ever, you need to have the best plan ever.
Click here to learn how to create your winning plan for 2017 and take one step closer towards achieving your goals.
2 Comments