In the last five weeks we’ve gone over core methods to use as tools to accomplish a wide variety of goals. Now it’s time to tailor these methods into your personal Plan of Action toward achieving YOUR goal.

Let’s take a moment to review:

4 Steps to Achieve the Goal is our core principles toward any goal:

  1. Prepare Prayerfully
  2. Prepare Purposefully
  3. Proceed Positively
  4. Pursue Persistently 

Session 1: How to Make Smart Goals

Session 2: Prioritizing Goals

Session 3: How to Build a Habit Tracker

Session 4: Elephant Tracks & The Power of 15 Minutes

Session 5: 2 Degree Shifts

Session 6: Plan of Action (Tailor YOUR Plan of Action to your Goal)

In Session 2 I asked you to choose a word to represent your year or this quarter. A word that would be inspiring and motivating to you, but would represent what you’d like to accomplish in this year.

My word for this year is Intentional, in addition I chose a word for this quarter, Action. I hold up both words in every goal I’m working on this year. With every step I ask myself, Is this an Intentional step of Action toward achieving my goal? This helps serve as my compass toward my goal. Did you choose your word for this year or for this quarter?

So with Intentional Actions I can make my Plan of Action and put them into practice daily.

Making a Plan of Action

  1. Take time to Prepare Prayerfully about your goal and ask God to help you make the necessary plans to achieve it.
  1. Prepare Purposefully: Make this goal into a SMART goal.

Specific: State exactly what you want to achieve, how you’re going to do it and when you want to achieve it.

Measurable: If possible, try to quantify the result. You want to know absolutely, positively whether or not you hit the goal. (Break it up into doable portions, instead of losing 25 pounds; start with losing 5 pounds at a time. State, “to lose 5 pounds by the end of April,” that’s measurable.

Actionable: Set action steps you can do daily or weekly to work on your goal.

Realistic: A good goal should stretch you, but you have to add a dose of common sense. A good goal should stretch you and be challenging but at the same time realistic.

Time bound: Every goal needs a date you are going to achieve your goal by. When do you want to cross the finish line?

  1. Prioritize your Goals: Make a list of your top 5 to 10 goals and divide them into what you’re going to work on in each quarter of this year.
  1. Proceed Positively with 1-2 goals for this quarter, make a Habit Tracker to help you set daily action steps to change your habits into working for you not against you toward your goal.
  1. Pursue Persistently by giving yourself daily assignments like using the Power of 15 Minutes toward working on your goal or project. You can write down on your calendar or dated note card to help you check off your 15 minute segments. This helps you track your progress. A great motivational tool.
  1. List some 2 Degree Shifts you can immediately make to work toward your goal.

Do you see how YOUR plan of action can come together?

One of the greatest changes I’ve made through the years in getting out of my rut was making a Plan of Action. Taking it into prayer and working out each section has made the difference from good intentions to getting results in achieving some long life goals.

I hope you will put YOUR Plan of Action into Action.

This entry was originally published on Life Beyond Hepatitis C, and is reprinted with permission.