Setting A Goal Is Not Having A Plan

When we talk about planning we talk about goal-setting. 

Goals are great, but there’s some zooming out we have to do, especially when we’re helping others plan. 

If we want to do goals-based planning, we have to stitch these together if we want to succeed:

Purposes and Values: aka “the why.” They tell us why something matters to someone in the first place. 

Goals: aka “the what.” It’s what we’re trying to achieve, and it sits on top of purposes and values. 

Priorities: “Oh, you don’t just have one goal?” Probably not. So we’d better get these sorted out lest our plans get spaghetti’d. 

Behaviors and Decisions: aka “the how.” Behaviors might be how we default function, while decisions include choices. These are the steps, conscious and subconscious, that will lead us towards or away from our goals. 

If you just want to lose weight, your goal is floating in space. You don’t really have a plan. 

However, let’s say you want to lose weight so you can be around for your grandkids. You decide you’re going to do so by exercising and eating healthier. You also know you think running and eating broccoli are for sadists and therefore this will take alternative methods. This is how real plans come together.

The first example isn’t valuable. The second is a business.