You ARE part of someone else’s plan!

I learned a long time ago that without my own plan, I was part of someone else’s. Being part of someone else’s plan, I’d be taken down a path that suited their goals, and helped their agenda, not my own. I have my own plan now, and I keep laser-beam focussed on it, to avoid being distracted by the noise.

I’ve made planning a huge part of my focus. Leanne and I (and also our kids) spend significant amounts of time in front of our flipchart planning our next steps and trying to predict the future. We take time away from our day-to-day responsibilities, often booking a trip, or a stay in a hotel to really focus on our next moves. WE make the decisions, and keep control of our direction.

A clear plan lets us focus on the big picture, it guides our decision making and keeps us accountable. Those without a plan will be parted from their money and time. By setting the plan, I make sure ALL of our activity furthers our OWN agenda and moves us closer to our goals, if it doesn’t we switch course. Decision-making is easy as we know what we’re working towards, we relentlessly focus on our plan, making sure we aren’t led off-course and end up in someone else’s plan.

I can look beyond the headlines and see the under-lying plan. People often comment on the implications of Government decision-making, as though those consequences were unintended…they’re not! Whether it’s private landlords exiting the market due to increased legislation, or a slow-down in a specific market due to more onerous tax rules being introduced, the Government have a plan, and know the levers to pull to get the results they want, are we’re part of that plan.

Having a clear plan makes decision-making easy, and it guides not only us, but our team, who are working to our plan also. They can make decisions quickly because they understand the direction. The plan holds everyone to account, as we all need to justify how our actions have contributed to the goal.

We keep our eye on the prize, knowing there are any number of distractions, and people who will try to take us down a different path, one that suits their plan. Our plan provides a roadmap to guide our decisions and actions, when faced with a decision we can refer to the plan and ask, what moves us closer to our goals. Our actions are led by progress towards our goals rather by what’s easiest or most popular.

Creating our own plan has made Leanne and I accountable to ourselves as we know we’re the architects of it, and responsible for whether we achieve it (or don’t!). Without anyone else to blame, we stay focussed and motivated to put in the work necessary to achieve our goals. Our plan changes, but it remains ours. We know what we want to achieve so we keep adapting our own plan, knowing we won’t be part of someone else’s.