How to Take Action on Your Vision

1150494_leaf You’ve discovered your vision. You know exactly what you are creating with your online business and you’ve crafted a vision statement that aligns with your values. You know why you are building a successful business. You are so excited! … And terrified! What do you do now?

Now it’s time to take action, to develop a strategy to achieve your goals. When you review your vision statement, what motivates you? Studies show that people have a stronger desire to avoid pain rather than to achieve pleasure.

Take the time to ask yourself some honest questions. What situation do you want to change? How much pain are you in? How badly do you want avoid the pain that you experience? How fed up are you?

Once you’ve established that you are highly motivated to change the situation, then it’s time to set S.M.A.R.T. goals - Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely or Tangible. Choose specific, precise and attainable goals. They should challenge your comfort level - stretch you.

Is your goal realistic? A goal needs to be relevant - relative to your current state. You also need to have a plan. Is your goal timely? You need to set a definite time frame within which you’ll accomplish your objective.

Write out your goals and review them daily. Choose one goal and create an action plan. What are the benefits for achieving this goal? How does this goal help you fulfill your vision? List the benefits.

What are the obstacles to achieving this goal? What could hold you back from reaching your goal? What are the solutions to these obstacles? What resources do you have access to?

Write the goal on a large index card. Ask yourself, “What will it take to achieve this goal?” List the tasks that you need to do, write each task on a smaller index card.

For each task, ask yourself, “What needs to be done to complete this task?” Arrange the index cards in the sequential order that the tasks should be accomplished.

Once you have a complete list of all the tasks that need to be done, set a deadline to achieve this goal. Set a schedule to complete the tasks for the next two months and enter this information in your daily planner or on Outlook.

The next step is to identify the costs of achieving this goal. What are your expenses? Create a spreadsheet to record your costs. Include the time required to achieve this task as one of your expenses.

However, do not let the information gathered here deter you from pursuing your dream! Although you may find that your costs are more than you imagined, there are many creative ways to get what you want.

Create some affirmations to support you in achieving this goal. For example, if your goal is to create a website for your business, you could state, “I joyfully create a wonderful website that brands me as a leader in internet marketing.” Or, “People are drawn to my website and are eager to do business with me.”

Visualize yourself with a profitable online business. Envision yourself achieving your goal. Expect success!

Andrea Scott is a joyful internet marketing entrepreneur who shows others how to have a successful online business. To find out how to have an online business that generates a 6-figure income in your first year, click here