You may have heard the following quotes, "A Goal without a plan is just a wish, or failing to plan is planning to fail," or our absolute favorite in Habakkuk 2:2 Write the Vision and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
The short version - You need a plan to reach whatever goals you have set for yourself and your family. You need a roadmap to take you from point A to point B.
Let's think about why people use a plan. For example, when you decide to take a road trip to a place you have never visited, do you jump in the car and just drive? For all you spontaneous people, who prefer no direction - don't answer this question.
It is safe to say; you plan most long trips. You need to map out your driving directions, how long you will drive, your hotel stay, the sights you'll see - you get the idea. A spontaneous journey is fun, but you could have saved time on the journey with less unnecessary detours if you mapped out your trip. Think about business. It is not wise to just jump into an undertaking without creating some type of plan. You need to create a business plan, so you know how you will grow your company, so you're operating like a business and not a hobby.
Creating a roadmap for your family is no different. A plan is a strategic approach to winning.
Wait, before we go any farther, this post is part 2 to our first post, "Make the Next 231 Days Count! Part One: Create Your Family Goals." If you haven't read that post, stop right here, so you are not pulling the cart before the horse. We recommend you reading part one, and then coming back and reading part 2.
If you read and completed the steps from "Create Your Family Goals," you are all set to put your plan in place to crush your family goals.
Again, why is developing a plan so important? A plan helps you stay focused, create goals and objectives, knock out your deadlines, and measure your success and whether you need to restructure your efforts—one of the most powerful and effective ways to attain what you desire in life through effective planning.
Success doesn't happen overnight, but it can happen over some time if you are intentional. This process will require you to commit time every week to create and work your plan. When you put a solid plan in place, you will see the fruits of your labor, you and your family will experience less stress, you will not leave your life to chance, and your children will learn good habits that will carry over into their adult life. Your plan is your investment in yourself as well as your family.
There are 27 weeks left in 2020, and our goal is to help you end this year with more confidence and fewer regrets or disappointments. We want you to go into 2021 more prepared and already executing your family's plan for success.
So let's go!
First, you can't create a plan for your family without having the key stakeholders involved in the planning process. Inviting your family into the planning process creates a sense of team, forms family culture, and creates a stronger family bond. Also, everyone feels a stronger commitment to achieving the goals set in your family plan because they helped set the goals and the action steps to accomplish the goals. Next, don't forget to allow everyone to have a voice in the process, so no one feels left out or unheard. The planning process gives everyone involved a unified purpose.
Your next step in the planning process is creating a mission and vision statement for your family.
Every family should create a clear picture of what they desire in their future and what they believe they are capable of achieving. Creating a mission and vision statement will help create the Bigger picture for your family. Michelle Lazurek provides a step-by-step list of 10 Ways to Create a Family Vision and Mission Statement. These ten steps will help you accomplish your next step in the planning process.
Your next step: Identify Your Family's Strengths and Assess Your Family's Needs
You need to take a full assessment of your family's strengths and needs. This assessment will show you what you are already doing right and the areas you need to develop. These vital areas are considered relevant to your family and help you evaluate whether you are improving in your family's strategic focus.
Here are a few questions to start the dialog around what your family considers vital areas to develop:
What are the strengths of each family member?
What are your family strengths?
How can you use the strengths and experiences to help your family grow and develop?
What are the most pressing needs of each family member?
What are the most pressing needs of the entire family?
What steps are most vital to achieving our family's goals?
Next Step, Design Your Family's Strategic Focus.
As stated earlier, creating your plan will take time, and it will not happen overnight, but you can strategize your approach to achieve your goals one step at a time.
Here are a few questions to help you start your strategic focus process:
What steps do you need to take to help your family achieve your desired mission and vision?
What are your most urgent family issues that your family feels a need to focus on over the next three to six months to help move your family closer to your family mission and vision?
Now, prioritize the list of your most urgent issues to determine what you will tackle first and how you will list the critical items in your plan of action.
Next Step, Take Action.
This part of the plan requires discipline. This step in the planning process is where the work happens and where you create action steps to plan and execute what you put in place. We wanted to provide you with an excellent tool to help you create a step-by-step checklist for the actions you need to complete to achieve the goals you have set from work you put in place from Part One: Create Your Family Goals and the steps you are putting in place to create your plan. Creately offers the perfect action plan tool to help you organize your family's goals to actionable steps. Although the Creately's best practices help businesses, you can tailor this tool to help create the perfect action plan for your family. Start your Easy Guide to Developing an Effective Action Plan here.
You now have all of the necessary tools you need to set goals and create your family's strategic plan for success! Make sure you get every family member to take ownership and commit to making the plan a reality. We encourage you to identify steps to make executing your plan a part of your day-to-day activities. Make your plan visual and evaluate/review your plan regularly to determine whether you need adjustments. Lastly, celebrate your accomplishments.