Destination First, Itinerary Second

Think about the last time you planned a journey. Perhaps you are planning one now. Question: What is the first choice you make? Answer: You decide WHERE you want to go. You decide upon the destination.

Never would you plan a trip beginning with the itinerary – flights, hotels, transfers, tours. The destination is the first decision.

Planning a successful career is similar to planning a holiday: the destination comes first.

Decide what success means to you. This is your destination and it’s an important decision.

Be clear – you don’t plan a trip to Europe without first deciding which countries in Europe you’re going to visit. You can’t buy a plane ticket to “Europe” without being asked “whereabouts in Europe?” and likewise you can’t define “success” without clearly deciding what “success” looks like to you.

Too often, people believe that money defines success. Don’t get me wrong, money is important and I want you to have lots of it, but it’s WHAT YOU DO WITH THE MONEY that should be a major consideration for you.

Think about it: would you like to be the richest person in the world but have no friends and your family hating you? Nothing but hangers-on after your money? Would you call that a success?

Long term success requires us to decide what we want and then consistently work toward it. What does success mean to you? Decide. Once you have a clear well-rounded picture of success in your mind, plan your success ‘itinerary’. For many, the joy is in the journey.

Decide what you have to produce in order to manifest your success picture. From these production figures targets will emerge. Next, plan the competent action necessary to achieve those targets.

Clarity is paramount in goal setting, target decisions and planning.

If you simply start with targets and plans then you will most likely not follow those plans, nor will you achieve those targets, because you have no compelling goal – a compelling ‘why’, a reason to do so.

You need a destination – goals – to ‘pull’ you toward higher achievement.

Plans and targets alone will not do this.

John Wooden said, “We have to make a living but we also must make a life with our family. It’s easy to lose sight of that when we start chasing money and its travelling companions, fame and power.”

Plan a trip and you begin to look forward to it. Plan a successful career and you become inspired to work toward it.

Begin with a clear destination, then plan the itinerary. Enjoy your life’s journey.