The What

As a follow up to “Where to Begin? Business Planning 2017”

Stop daydreaming and start doing.

Have you ever gone through the process of finding your “Why”? This important, but incredibly over-used tactic, is often employed at sales conferences and company meetings to motivate employees and give them a feeling of deeper purpose about their jobs. The majority of people will stop at, “My kids” or “Get Out of Debt” as their Why, without putting much thought into it. Others will get so wrapped up in finding the “right answer” or the deepest meaning, that they never really benefit from the exercise.

Are kids and debt important? Absolutely! Is dreaming a relevant part of the human experience? Of course! Are wishes and dreams going to pay your bills? No.

Let’s put the Why-finding on the shelf for a bit; maybe save it for a lazy Saturday morning when we can give it more of our attention (at least until the kids wake up). Instead, let’s turn our focus to progress, to proactivity, to preservation.

You need to find your What.

Your What is, essentially, a goal. A career objective, set maybe just a wee bit higher than you think might be realistic, that gives you something to shoot for. No one wants to run in the rat race, but knowing that 3 more sales each year could allow you to retire 3 years early might be the motivation you need to excel.

The touchy-feely goals are great, but we can easily get lost in dreaming about an imaginary life and forget about the car payment that’s due in two weeks. Your What is reality: hard lines, definitive numbers and, most of all, your What is quantifiable. At your year-end review of whether you achieved your What, you will be able to say “yes” or “no”. Did I net 100K? Did I have a 20% increase in sales volume? Did I get control of my schedule and stick to 35 hour work weeks?

As you move through the process and work on How you’re going to achieve your What, you’ll be able to track success and failure, review expenses, evaluate ROI, and note the growth of your Who. This insightful data will allow you to make better decisions when planning for the year ahead and the years to come.