Developing a Personal Business Plan

Many people overlook the importance of developing a personal business. Like a roadmap, a personal business plan helps you define objectives, plot a course of action, and choose appropriately along the way. The process is not overly complex and it is well worth your time. Follow these simple steps to a more effective you.

1. Create a mission statement. Begin with a personal mission statement that spells out who you are, why you are here and where you are going. This is the standard with which you can evaluate all future initiatives, challenges and issues and it acts as a foundation for the development of the goals you want to achieve.
2. Prioritize your responsibilities. Make your roles and responsibilities (parent, spouse, friend, employee, entrepreneur) an integral part of your plan and assign priorities to each.
3. Achieve balance. Make sure that your plan encompasses all areas of your life that are important to you: family, professional, spiritual, physical, social, and personal development.
4. Put it on paper. Committed to the written word, a personal business plan gives you the focus you need to make a commitment to achieving it.
5. Be realistic. The planning process should only include objectives you truly feel compelled to achieve—they must be realistic and firmly grounded in your daily values.
6. Get action oriented. Your plan should not be stated as something that will occur in the future. This makes it too easy to put it off. Set your goals and get moving.
7. Focus on the positive. Frame your goals towards achieving the positive rather than quitting a negative. (e.g., "I spend one hour a day reading" rather than, "I will stop watching so much television.")
8. Get specific. Establish measurable goals. (e.g., "I will weigh 175 pounds" rather than "I will lose weight.")
9. Reach higher. Don’t limit yourself by setting goals that are far too simplistic or easy.
10. Stay on top of your plan. Continuously evaluate your progress, making sure you're on the proper path and that your goals are still appropriate given your current situation.
11. Reaffirm your commitment daily. Read your plan at the start of every day. Carry a copy in your wallet. Post one on your bathroom mirror or your sun visor. Any place that is visible and where it can become embedded in your conscious. Read it. Commit to it.
12. Visualize success. Picture yourself as having accomplished your goals. It’s the first step to getting there.

Remember, fail to plan, plan to fail. Don't assume that everything will magically fall into place. A personal business plan is a great way to truly make great things happen.