Strategic Thinking and Success

Skipping the necessary strategic thinking is often times the reason for feeling overwhelmed by life in general. Strategic thinking is not just for big business, it?s for all of us regardless of what we are up to.

Consider this. If you are making decisions on a daily or moment by moment basis about what to do next with your business or what to do next with your life, what are the guide posts for those decisions? As you make each of those decisions and as they add up where are they taking you? Are they taking you to a goal that is out there somewhere or are they taking you to wherever the add up to?

If you are thinking that strategic planning or having a strategy is something mysterious or something that you surely couldn?t do, think again about what having a strategy really is. Perhaps you even want to get rid of the word strategy and substitute something like goal or goals at some future period in time.

Where do you want your business or you personally to be in five years? I picked five at random, it could be one or ten or whatever period you think you can think reasonably clearly about. It will also be helpful for you to determine the why to the answer the question of where do you want to be in xxx years. If you can?t answer the why it?s possible that the where or what may not be right for you.

Assuming that the why and where/what are clear you can put a stake in the ground at xxxx year in the future and begin to work toward that future goal. What will you need to do to get there? What will you need to accomplish this year, this quarter, this month, this week, today to begin to realize your longer term goals? Beginning to think in this way is the beginning of building your strategic plan. There are many questions that may need to be answered whether you are doing this for your business or your personal life. Chances are your business life and personal life have many connections that you may not have thought about before. When you take the time to put a stake in the ground at some point in the future for some reason it helps you think in a broader way.

What help and resources will you need and at what point to support your positive forward movement? Who else is impacted by or involved in what you plan to do? Are you healthy enough to take the necessary action?

What will it take to get started, to take that first step today? Whatever it takes it will be easier when you have the end in mind.