As a coach, I often ask the question “what do you want?”  What do you want from life? What do you want from your business or vocation? What do you want out of our coaching session? Often, I receive the answer “I don’t know”.   With such a response, we obviously have some work to do.  

 

What do you want? What do you want from life, your business or vocation, your relationships? Determining what you want is the first step among 5 key factors, that if followed, will help you achieve what is most important in your life. The 5 keys are:

 

What do you want?

List the top 25 things you want to do or accomplish in your life (or your business). Next, list your top 5.  Now focus on the top 5 and avoid at all cost the other 20.  To accomplish anything worthwhile, focus is necessary. Unfocused light certainly illuminates, focused light creates heat and energy and focused even more, light can cut through steel.  Similarly, our focused intention can cut through fierce adversity.

 

Why do you want it?

This step is to arrive at the “deeper why” behind each of the 5 things you desire. Why do you want to build a large company for example? (To earn significant income). Why do you want to earn a lot of money? (To have abundance to give to others). Why do you want to give to others? (To reduce poverty in my community). There are many “why” questions that could be asked to further peel back the onion to the determine your most powerful “why”. When there is true passion or emotion behind your why, the path toward your desired intention will open up like the parting of the Red Sea. 

 

How will you accomplish it?

Once you are clear on what you want and why you want it, the next step is to develop your action plan or “how”.  This is the place where you outline action steps, resources needed and key stakeholders needed to support your intention.  It is during this step you should ask, “what could go wrong?” or “what could stop me?”. These questions are helpful to consider contingencies.

 

When will you do it?

You have probably heard the saying “a goal without a deadline is only a dream”. This is very true. To turn your dream into a reality, establish deadlines, then calendar when you will start. 

 

Do it!

Action is obviously essential. More importantly, taking massive action will generate enough momentum to push through any challenges along the way. If “massive action” is not possible at the time, just begin.  One small step will break any inertia and move you a step closer to your intention. Creating benchmarks along the way and measuring progress will usually help keep you moving toward your desired outcome.

 

What + Why + How + When + Do it = Success.  This is a powerful formula that will help you accomplish the most important things in your life, your work or in your important relationships. 

 

Rick Wickizer is a business coach who works with entrepreneurs and business leaders. For more information, go to: RickWickizer.com. To contact Rick: Rick@RickWickizer.com or call 360-844-0447.