Six steps for turning your vision into an action plan

1. Start by knowing who you are and where you are today 
Be clear where you are starting your journey from and  what skills
and resources you have already and what you will need on the journey.
Be clear on what forces are with you and which ones are against you

2. Decide how much your Vision matters
Turning your Vision into Action plans should not be a struggle.
There may be obstacles to overcome.
Those who achieve are driven by a strong desire to take Action.
The strength of this desire is directly related to how much your Vision matters to you.
To put it another way, if your Vision does not matter deeply to you, is it any surprise
to find yourself un-motivated to take the Action?

3. Face Your Fears
For many, the important sequence is not just ‘Vision into Action plans.’
It is actually ‘Envision - handle Fear - take Action.’
Here it’s useful to distinguish between ‘fear’ and the natural concerns and hesitations
that we all experience when doing anything new and signifi cant.
If you take off in an aeroplane on a windy day, you may have some moments of ‘doubt’
but you probably just buckle your seat belt, take a deep breath and get on with it!
There are also times when you know deep down that fear is an important message.
Listen to it then act.

4. Get the Right Balance between Vision & Action
We’ve all met individuals who live in the land of amazing ideas.
They spend most of their time fantasising over their visions.
The problem is, their visions are just that – fantasies
– because they lack an effective strategy to take Action.
The opposite extreme is the individual who is so busy ‘doing’ that they
never step back to consider what they are doing – and most importantly
why they are doing it.  
Which one are you and how will you deal with this tendency?

5. Make a Phased Transition
Beware the motivational speaker who tells you to ‘just doooooo it’
and jettison the day job. You need to build time into your planning enough time
to manage any major transition and enough time to ensure that if you meet
unexpected setbacks you will not be thrown off course.

6. Make a calculated Decision - Are You Willing to Pay the Price?
The gold medal winning Olympic athlete is often cited as a metaphorical example
of what you need to do to turn Vision into Action Plans.
They visualise success, they set goals they are passionate
about what they do, they are able to enter ‘the zone’ etc etc. True enough.
However there is another factor in the athlete’s success which is not mentioned
as frequently, because it is not quite as appealing.
They are willing to pay the price.
They are willing to get up at 5am every day and practice in freezing temperatures.
They will endure frustration,failure and sometimes physical injury.
 It may be small or large but part of achieving that goal involves deciding that
you are willing to pay the price.
So are you willing to pay the price??