The HTG Way Part V - Life Plans

Abraham Lincoln said “And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years”. For too many of us in the business community, life takes a back seat to work. There is a struggle we all must work through regarding life/work balance. Without a plan and a focused effort to address this battle, we will default to the world’s answer of work. So it is critical that we all develop a plan that can help keep us accountable and focused on what we say is important so our time is spent appropriately and wisely. Without a plan, we will wake up one day and wonder where life has gone.

The third plan HTG is focused on is a life plan. For many, this is a very new concept. A life plan needs to answer the question of “why I got up this morning” or what my purpose is for my life. Far too often people get to the end of life and become aware that they have spent their entire working time focused on things that really were not the most important to them. But the cruel reality of time is that once it is spent, it can never be used again. Each of us is granted 168 hours each week. A life plan should dictate how those hours are used. Every activity or interaction a person makes should go through the funnel of a life plan to assure each minute is spent on things that align with the real priorities and objectives a person has for their life. Without a plan, each of us will wake up someday and wonder where all our time has gone and how we missed the chance to live focused on the things that really matter. For many, this may be the first time they have addressed these deep philosophical questions personally, and even more often, the first time they have discussed them with their spouse, business partners or other important people in their lives. But what could be more important than identifying how I want my life to count and what I should spend my time on to make sure the things I say are important truly are treated that way.

In many ways, the life plan we use for HTG is very similar to the leadership plan. The focus is different in that the areas are not related to business, but to our own personal goals and objectives. There are three key areas that need to be addressed:

1. Commitments – specific areas that align with life goals and stated objectives you wish to achieve through your life.
2. Execution plan – how you will achieve the commitments you have with specific steps, milestones and dependencies
3. Accountabilities – how you will measure success and to whom you will be accountable.

There are a number of areas you may wish to set life goals, but here are a few to consider in order to get things started:

- Relationships, Family and Friends
- Health and Fitness
- Money and Finances
- Recreation and Lifestyle
- Spiritual
- Service and Contribution
- Happiness
- Retirement

You can add or delete areas you wish to define as life commitments, but the key is to make a list and become accountable. This is best done shared with your spouse and family so they can be part of the discussion, decisions and accountability loop. I also recommend you also include a “Bucket List” of activities you wish to achieve before your time on earth ends. This should also be shared, updated and kept top of mind so you can work toward reaching those goals and keep focused on spending your time where it matters most.

The HTG Way Part II

S.M.A.R.T. goals are widely used across all types of environments. Setting goals that are not set against these guidelines give us little to really measure or achieve. So as members set their goals, we encourage them to use these guidelines:
Specific - A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six "W" questions:
*Who: Who is involved?
*What: What do I want to accomplish?
*Where: Identify a location.
*When: Establish a time frame.
*Which: Identify requirements and constraints.
*Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.

Measurable - Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the joy of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal.
To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as......How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?

Attainable - When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals.
You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them.

Realistic - To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be. But be sure that every goal represents substantial progress. A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a low goal exerts low motivational force. Some of the hardest jobs you ever accomplished actually seem easy simply because they were a labor of love.
Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished. Additional ways to know if your goal is realistic is to determine if you have accomplished anything similar in the past or ask yourself what conditions would have to exist to accomplish this goal.

Timely - A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there's no sense of urgency. "Someday" won't work. But if you anchor it within a timeframe, then you've set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal.
T can also stand for Tangible - A goal is tangible when you can experience it with one of the senses, that is, taste, touch, smell, sight or hearing. When your goal is tangible you have a better chance of making it specific and measurable and thus attainable.

While we are talking about webcasts.....

Stuart Crawford notified me of a couple upcoming webcasts that may be of interest

The first is on the topic of goal setting. This is certainly the time of year to be working on that and now it is more important than ever with the economic conditions.

The second is around a new certification program coming out called the Trusted Business Advisor program. It is an interesting project and HTG has been looking into it as a possible tool for our members to differentiate in the marketplace. Here are the links with details:

http://sbsc.itsuccessmentor.com/?p=344

and

http://sbsc.itsuccessmentor.com/?p=340

Take a listen and share what you learn that is of value with those around you. That is the go-giver way!

Hello from Raleigh

This morning we begin our HTG3 meeting hosted by Worksmart in Raleigh. This is our first meeting of 2008 for the group, and I am excited to see what the planning looks like for 2008. Their business plans are due today, and this begins the accountability for the year ahead. Is your plan done? Have you put it on paper? We need to have things documented and more importantly shared with others that will hold us accountable and inspect what we do. We perform better when someone inspects us. It is a true fact. Who is your inspection parter? Who holds you accountable? Without that you are likely to grow much more slowly and be much more of a lifestyle than growth partner. Do you want to grow? Find someone who will hold you accountable to goals for your business, your leadership and your life.

Want help setting goals?

An invitation from Stuart Crawford, HTG member and great friend:

I would like to invite you to join me on Tuesday night, Feb 5th at 7 PM Eastern as we discuss Goal Setting for IT Professionals on my monthly small business specialist conference call. This interactive one hour conference call will teach you some of the key points on setting goals and most importantly achieving them.

Everyone who registers will receive a free eBook ($24.99 value) on goal setting…

Register online today at http://www.freeitmarketingseminar.com