You have probably heard it more than once or maybe said it yourself – plans are just for paper – life happens. I am a believer in planning and also that life definitely happens while you are making plans. I have two examples for you today.
One is that of my client, who had taken over a business a few years ago and got stuck with the way things were run. Business started running her and she ended in a state of overwhelm while trying to balance her business and personal life. She did not have a business or marketing plan, but she knew her business and kept doing what needed to be done. The result was a complete burnout and desire to run the other way instead of going to work. We got started with analyzing her business, setting vision and mission and eventually creating a plan that had priorities lined up in a way that allowed space for her personal life. One day, when we were reflecting on what has worked and what still needs attention, she was positively surprised about how much of her plan she had accomplished. It was a huge boost to her confidence and satisfaction level. Previously she had played catch-up and there seemed no end in sight. Now she saw how much she actually had accomplished and things suddenly looked manageable. Conscious planning and allowing space for life to happen had allowed that.
The other example is from my own life. We found out 2 weeks ago that we need to move from our condo because of foreclosure – our landlord had not been paying the mortgage and the bank wanted the condo back. It is an example of how life happens without you having anything to do with it. All of my nice plans of spending time on my business went out of the window and we started househunting instead. I could not really leave my business unattended, though. I went back to my plan and reprioritized. Postponed some activities that were not important and urgent, carved out time for my clients and events that I had committed to and that were business building. Filled the rest of the calendar with viewings of potential places to live.
Now that we have found a place, but need to deal with packing and moving, I am still not back to my full activity list, but I know that I have a plan and I know exactly where I need to pick up once the move is finished. If I didn’t have a plan, I would be worried about the opportunities I might miss or activities that I forget.
Do you have a business or marketing plan? This type of a plan that is written down and that you check every month and see what you have accomplished and what needs to be changed? If you’d like to have a plan that keeps you motivated and achieving results, join the Confident Marketing Club and build yourself one! Read more about the Confident Marketing Club, or send me an email and ask if this might be for you.
