The Power of Planning

With college graduation approaching it reminds me of a time in my life where I had no real clue as to what I was going to do after I graduated. Up until this point I had a goal of being the first person in my family to graduate college. I was stoked that I had just finished an internship at the Cooper Fitness Center and was now ready to graduate and head into the real world. The only problem I was not sure if I wanted to work with athletes or wanted to do personal training. As you know by now I went the personal training route; however, when I first started I had no plan. It was not until I read Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” that I started to plan. Also, I wrote a post awhile back titled “The Fastest Way to a Six Figure Income, which summarizes the study conducted by Harvard and showed the power of planning. I suggest you read it and see for yourself the remarkable results. Okay Dave, if planning is so important show me what I need to consider for my individual plan.

A.) Yearly – You need a plan for the entire year and the following should be included:

  1. desired annual income
  2. personal development
  3.  professional development

B.)Monthly

  1. needed monthly income
  2. planned events
  3. unplanned events
C.) Weekly
  1. needed weekly sessions
  2. adapt and overcome
D.) Daily
  1. DMO – Daily Method of Operation
  2. Consistency

The fastest way to a six figure income

I am sure you have heard the saying, “If you fail to plan then you are planning to fail!” Don’t just take my word for it see what a study from Harvard showed on the benefits of planning.

Plan The best sales people review every detail and plan in advance. There was a study conducted at Harvard Business School that showed how important it is to a business to have a written plan.  The study was conducted over a twenty-five year period and tracked 1,600 businesses.  These were the results:

·      70% of the businesses in the study had no written plan or verbal plan

·      27% of the businesses in the study had verbal goals only

·      3% in the study had them written down

·      98% of the wealth was held by those 3% of businesses who had them written down

the proof is in the pudding. Start planning today even if it is a plan for the next 90 days. Doing something is the action step here.

Coach Dave

Excerpt from “Anatomy of Sales”

What causes you to Procrastinate

Being in the fitness industry we are all to familiar with people procrastinating. We have a hard time understanding why our clients just don’t do what we say and get moving. Well, what is causing you to procrastinate when it comes to reaching our business goals? For me I realized that mentally I was not disciplined and I was always waiting for the perfect time to act. I can honestly say that I have always had dreams of starting my own business but kept saying, “Oh it just isn’t the perfect time.” I guess this will be a true test since I launched this business during what some economists are saying is the worst economic times since the great depression. Okay, now let’s get back to the question at hand, “what causes you to procrastinate?”

As I mentioned yesterday I am reading a book by John Maxwell, “Talent is Never Enough” and at the end of each chapter he has some application exercises. One of the application questions asks the following and I want you to ask yourself this.

What causes you to procrastinate? 

  • Are you in denial about the consequences of not taking initiative and responsibility for yourself?
  • Are you waiting for others to motivate you instead of working to motivate yourself?
  • Are you waiting for everything to be perfect before you act?
  • Are you fantasizing about tomorrow instead of focusing on what you can do today?
  • ARE YOU TRYING TO DO IT ALONE?
Yes, I bolded the last question because I am guilty of this as well. As I mention in my book I was fortunate to have some of my wealthy and successful clients guide me, but it was not until recently I have sought formal coaching to develop my business. Take a moment and answer these questions and when you do write out a plan to take action on changing the actions that are causing you to procrastinate. 
Coach Dave

Talent is Never Enough

Do you think success is totally based on talent? Well, contrary to what most believe, it is not and a great book, by John Maxwell, “Talent Is Never Enough: Discover the Choices That Will Take You Beyond Your Talent“, shows how individual choice and actions are what makes the difference. I can not agree with him more. Over the years that I have been working with personal trainers I consistently see talented trainers fail in this industry. Why? Well, I believe it is the choices and actions they take. You see, talented people have a tendency to rest on their laurels and coast along only one day to wake up and realize it is too late. So, if you don’t want this to happen to you find your  passion and take initiative today to fulfill your dreams. You can make the difference, so keep moving forward and ignite your talent!!

Coach Dave