Stick With Your Plan To The End
How often have you started something and gotten sidetracked with something that looked more interesting?
Do you ever lay out the steps you need to take to reach your goal, then someone you trust suggests a different step, and you find yourself struggling?
Have you recently started to work your plan then got an idea and made changes, only to realize that you're not getting any closer to reaching your goal?
Me, too!
I recently went through this. I was toodling along, committed to working my daily plan for success, experiencing success in the business with sales leads and new customers, and then I got a bright idea. So bright, to me, that I didn't think it through but instead believed it to be brilliant. So brilliant it was like a halogen lightbulb! So brilliant that it simply had to be put in place. With no thought of how it would affect my current plan.
The results aren't pretty.
For over 2 weeks I stopped my daily activity. I stopped doing the things that were helping me grow as an individual and subsequently helping me grow my business.
The brilliant idea? Popped and fizzled out.
The result? I was a hot, sweaty, tired mess of defeat. My business was still going along, but not on the path I wanted it to with sustainable numbers of sales leads and new customers. My bank account suffered, eventually, because every business relies on a pipeline of sales leads, new customers, upsell new customers, sales leads. Stop the pipeline at any point and a bit more work must be done to make up for the loss.
The Fix
First, I took stock of where I was and how I got there.
I took responsibility for my actions, in some cases inaction, and accepted that I made a bad decision.
Second, I made the decision to get back on track. Then I realized that I was a bit muzzy headed about the steps of my daily plan, and that I wasn't quite motivated to actually jump in and get it done. Oh dear, now what?!?
Third, I knew I had to do something, anything, to get myself on right track. I also knew that I do well when I'm partnered with someone who has similar goals. So I contacted my mentor. She recommended that I find an accountability partner. Someone who is looking for a ‘check in' person.
Fourth, I was in a Facebook Group of business women and one of them posted something about needing accountability. I responded with “what do you mean? someone to connect with on a daily basis to make sure you're doing what you say you want to do?” her response was a resounding YES.
We've been talking every morning since.
And I've seen positive results in myself, and her, because of this.
What we do is simple: We tell each other what we commit to doing, that day. Then we review what we did the day before to meet our commitment. Then we share how we're feeling and if we believe we've been successful.
Right now we're doing it through Facebook chat. The video doesn't work half the time, but the audio does.
It means a lot to me that she's taking the time to help me. She says the same of me. That's part of the accountability – committing to someone else to help them. Another part is that I really don't want to tell her that I didn't do something I committed to. Because that means that for that day I didn't do what was necessary for my myself and my business.
It works. It really does.
