In just a few short weeks (there are only a few weeks left in 2009), most of us will be consumed by the holiday madness. We’ll be so busy trying to wrap up details, not to mention wrap up gifts, that too many will simply cancel the last couple weeks of the year and hope to catch a second wind in January.

So I thought this would be an appropriate time to remind you of the power and importance of having a plan to guide you during the coming year. I also want to encourage you to get the plan underway now, rather than wait until the first of the year. First a quick review of some statistics that some of you may be familiar with, but too many disregard:

According to David C. McClelland in an article called, “The Achieving Society” (New York Press, 1967) and later verified by other studies:

3% of Americans are independently wealthy. They can live off the income from their investment capital.

10% live comfortably, the way most of us would like to live.

60% barely make a living. They live from one paycheck to the next.

27% need support from others or the government just to survive.

What is the difference between these groups? The top three percent have written specific goals. The next ten percent have their goals in their mind but they are not specific or written. The next eighty seven percent have no goals except to get to the end of the day or week or to the next paycheck.

Now certainly, financial income is not the only indicator of a life well lived, but it is certainly a visible and measurable one. Regardless of the indicators you use, the key is to recognize that those who are living extraordinarily well have written goals. Do you? Do you have a plan to guide you for the next 12 months?

What will your next year look like? How will you and/or your team hold each other accountable for the goals you set? Will you allow procrastination or denial to rob you of your best year yet? Remember, the significant difference between those who are barely making it and those who live what we enviously might call a “charmed life” is that the top 3% have written, specific plans.

Only a fool keeps doing what they’ve always done and expecting a different result; so if you’re ready to stop procrastinating and start producing results, I encourage you to take action now. Join me in creating a written plan that can propel you higher and farther in the coming year by taking the time now to plan. The old saying is, “most of us don’t plan to fail we fail to plan.” Don’t let that describe you.

If you have been “meaning” to take the time to plan, take the first step now, and just “do it”. Even if you already have a plan, schedule the time to review, renew and refresh it. A year from now, you could be enjoying greater joy, success and freedom than you ever dreamed possible.

Taking time to plan will help you organize your ideas and develop a strong 12-month plan for 2010 and SUCCESS!

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