This is part five of the ‘Materialize Your Dreams and Goals’ Series by Ines Nangue from Nurture Body and Soul

So far in the ‘Materialize your Dreams and Goals’series

Previously in the ‘Materialize your Dreams and Goals’ series we’ve talked about

• Secret Ingredients To Materialize Your Dreams And Goals
• The Power Of Focus To Materialize Your Dreams And Goals
• Being Present On Your Journey To Your Dreams and Goals
• Setting SMART Goals Relevant to Your Highest Priorities

The Importance of an Action Plan to Achieve Your Goals

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!” – Benjamin Franklin

An action plan helps you to know what needs to be done in order to materialize your dream or goal.

It helps you to direct your focus on the priority actions to take in order to see progress in the process and to get the desired outcome.

It includes the sub-steps, who is responsible for what (delegation can ease a lot of things for you), and a time to accomplish the tasks, as well as some notes about the possible challenges and the solutions for them.

So ask yourself this question: What will it take to achieve my goals? To materialize my dreams?

Find out the major steps you will need to take, these are your subgoals and then chunk them down into doable sub-steps.

Be aware of the obstacles that you will encounter and have a plan for them too. Schedule it on your calendar. If you don’t plan then your plan is to fail.

Now let’s look at a 4 steps process to help you create your action plan, armed with that one most important SMART goal, you want to put your focus on, until completion. Here is what to do next:

The 4 Steps of the planning Phase – B.I.P.S

B.I.P.S is the 4 steps process to create your action plan that I came up with.

Step 1: Break it down

Break it down into easy to execute milestones.

If you have a complex goal, break it down into simple milestones until they are really easy to execute. 

The way you know you did a great job on this is that you do take action and start with the first step right away.

If you find yourself procrastinating, then you need to break down even more the step(s) that cause the procrastination.

Have a daily action plan with priority action steps.

It can also be helpful to go back to your WHY and clarify further why this goal or this step is important for you.

Ask yourself: Are there steps that I can delegate? If affirmative, delegate to the person that can do the task best.

Step 2: Identify possible challenges

Now that your tasks are planned, use your critical thinking to identify the possible obstacles and challenges that you may encounter.

James Clear, author of Atomic Habits suggest that you look 6 months in the future and Ask yourself: if you failed at your goal what would be the reasons for your failure?

List them all and

Step 3: Prepare possible solutions for the eventual challenges

Again use some deep thinking to find ways to solve the problems that you might encounter.

For example find ways to avoid distractions in order to be more productive with your goal.

Limit your time on social media. Schedule a specific time to be on social media and only do social media related tasks in the allocated time.

Turn your phone to silent when you work toward your goal.

Also make sure to assign the person responsible for each task and subtask. Delegation can make our life so much smoother.

Your advantage when you think about your possible challenges and the solutions in the planning phase is that you won’t let it stop you when they arise later.

You’ll already have a solution ready to tackle this challenge right away.

Step 4: Schedule it

Put it on your calendar and commit

There is research showing that when you plan where and when you will do a task, you are 40 % more likely to be successful.

So plan where and when you want to execute each step of your goal and write it in your calendar.

If it is a new habit that you are trying to establish, plan in your calendar when and where you’re going to execute the habit.

Use your daily action plan to orient yourself towards your priorities and to be effective.

DOWNLOAD FREE ACTION PLAN TEMPLATE

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The attitude that you have along the journey to materialize your dreams and goals is so important. Be present, keep a grateful heart and be bold and humble at the same time, in relentless consistency and persistency.

Be bold and humble at the same time.

Soo much more blessings are coming your way, and it’s beyond what you can imagine.

Be thankful for the blessings you already have in your life, and also for the challenges.

Continue to believe and to follow your action plan, tweaking whenever necessary. Focus on progress while you take inspired focused action.

Being Yourself unapologetically and learning everyday from life and from others with love and respect allows you to be bold and humble at the same time.

Become a master of persistence through this whole process of materializing your dreams and goals and do what it takes.

• Follow your plan one more time
• Be courageous one more time
• Speak your truth from your heart one more time, even gently
• Go for a run one more time, especially when don’t feel like it
• Pray one more time, Say thank you and I love you one more time
• Meditate one more time
• Ask your Soul for guidance one more time
• Serve one more time
• Give and Receive one more time
• Love one more time
• Do what it takes one more time,
• and then start all over again, with an open heart and a clear mind.

Listen to your inner wisdom, to your Soul, it is the voice of God talking to you.

You’re worthy of receiving all the blessings that keep coming your way.

Say Thank you for the gift of life. Love Life, Love Yourself, Love others, Love your journey.

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Your action plan is an important step in materializing your goal, even more important is the mindset around your goal, which we will tackle next.