"Failing to plan is planning to fail" ~ Benjamin Franklin

Kitty Boitnott, Ph.D., NBCT, RScP

Heart-Centered Career Transition Coach | Possibility Thinker | Job Search Guide for Burnt-out Teachers and Mid-Career Professionals

Most people have heard the adage attributed to Benjamin Franklin:  "Failing to plan is planning to fail."

I have to admit...long range planning is not my strong suit. Not that I am bad at setting goals. I just don't go about accomplishing them in the systematic way that some people might use.

My method has worked for me in the past, however. Every long-term goal I have ever set for myself, I have accomplished.

I started a Master's program in 1983 and finished in 1987. I decided to go back to school to earn an endorsement in K-12 Administration & Supervision in 1998, and I completed that program with an additional Master's Degree in 2000. 

I had wanted to become a National Board Certified Teacher from the moment I first heard of the possibility of such a thing in 1986. My standards were finally available in 2001, and I achieved NBCT status in 2003.

I decided that I needed to go back to school for one last time to earn my Ph.D., and I started my program the same week I got married in the summer of 2002. I graduated in May of 2005, completing that program ahead of schedule.

So, I know how to accomplish goals I set for myself. I just don't always write out the specific steps I need to take to get me where I want to go.

Why is this on my mind today?

It occurs to me that I may not be alone. A lot of people set goals for themselves and accomplish them (eventually), and they may not be all that systematic about it, either.

And, I am going to guess that some people are not planners at all. In fact, there are a lot of people who are drifters rather than goal setters. They don't set big goals for themselves often because they think they can't achieve them.

So they drift along hoping that things will turn out okay.

It's easier to play it safe, after all. Why knock yourself out to achieve a goal only to learn that you can't do it or it's too hard?

Life demands of us that we step up and outside our comfort zones if we want to live our best lives.

If you want to accomplish anything at all that is significant, you need to set a substantial goal. It's just that simple. I know that many people are drifting, but I want to suggest that if you want to live your best life, you must set significant goals for yourself.

A client told me not long ago that she thought I was more than just a career coach to burnt-out teachers. She said to me that I was a coach who helped people discover how to live their lives more courageously and authentically. I love that idea. I love that my role is to help my clients see a larger vision for them than they sometimes see for themselves.

Most of us think that we are just average or below average, don't we? Whenever we start to think big or talk like we have big, audacious goals, someone is sure to try to knock us down a peg. "What makes you think you can do that?" or, my favorite, "Who do you think you are?"

Worse than having someone say that TO us, we beat them to the punch and say it to ourselves, don't we?

We think of something we would like to do or accomplish and almost immediately start looking for all the perfectly rational and reasonable reasons why we could never pull it off even if we want to.

Let me suggest to you that if you have ever felt that way, you should take a look at what happened in Tuesday's election last week in Virginia alone.

Eleven women were elected to go to the General Assembly in January this year because they were inspired to run and try to make a difference after last year's presidential election.

Everyone who knew anything about Virginia politics at the time might have reasonably suggested that they save their time and energy.

But they didn't. They got energized, they set a goal, and then they DIDN'T GIVE UP.

One delegate-elect learned that she was pregnant with twins just weeks after she declared her candidacy. Another delegate elect's brother died after she announced her intention to run.

But neither gave up.

They kept on going.

And that is the secret of success, I believe.

Plan, yes. Set goals, of course. But the main thing to remember is not to give up. Success requires that you be persistent in pursuit of your goal, whatever it is.

Whether you want to lose 10 pounds or you want to start a new business, the formula for success is the same. Set goals, don't give up, and you will have to meet success.

I developed a whole model around this idea. I believe with all my heart that you can have, be or do anything you want. Don't believe it? Then follow my C.A.N.D.O. Model for Success. Intrigued? To learn more about on my C.A.N.D.O. Model for Success, email me. I will be happy to share.

My model is based on the universal law that Napoleon Hill writes about in Think and Grow Rich, and Wallace Wattles writes about in The Science of Getting Rich. It is also what Dale Carnegie writes of in his How to Win Friends and Influence People. 

These books are classics because they share the fundamental law that is behind every person's success. If you haven't read them, I highly recommend each of them.

So what plans are you making? It's hard to believe, I know, but we are looking at another year to go into the history books. The new year, 2018, is just around the corner.

Later this month I will be sharing information with you about Michael Hyatt's Best Year Ever Program. I promoted this program last year, and it's making its return later this month.

Think about what you want 2018 to bring to you.

And then plan accordingly.

Until next time.

P.S.

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