PLAN

To achieve anything it is essential that one has a clear plan. Without a plan we may still get lucky and achieve some success, but sustained success and achievement is impossible without a clear plan and that means we need ensure that  Possibilities Listed & Actions Noted. A plan is a guide to a destination. A good plan therefore essentially means that one has to think hard, visualize possibilities and alternatives, crystallize a clear goal and outline intermediate steps to attain the goal. The plan also ensures that our focus is on the goal, we are aware of slip ups and deviations and we can then consciously take corrective action. 

We must be aware that most times we do not plan because it takes effort, the possibilities seem daunting and we fear making the commitment. However, what we fail to appreciate are the benefits that accrue from having a well laid out plan. To begin with there is clarity. We know the destination and we can chalk out the route map. Proper plans build in milestones so as to ensure we are on the right road and that we are keeping pace with the time allotted without overshooting the budgets. The best plans also have sufficient time and fiscal cushions inbuilt so that exigencies can be taken care of. Plans ensure that we commit the right resources at the right time in the right measure to ensure the right results. 

Plans also ensure savings in money and time. Early bird pricing is a simple example of how those who plan and commit themselves can benefit monetarily by making early bird payments. With a finely tuned plan, one can juggle priorities and even find the time for personal pursuits be it a hobby or recreational activity. With proper plans put in place, one can also go for more sophisticated savings implementation like Just In Time production and zero defect production. Smooth operations, minimizing crisis, managing crisis if any, collapsing execution time frames are some additional benefits of good plans. 

On a day to day basis even drawing up a list of jobs to be done is a plan albeit a crude one. Maintaining a diary and scheduling appointments and assignments enhance the quality of personal plans. Self discipline is an essential condition for chalking out and implementing plans. Take the case of specialist doctors who have their rounds of different hospitals and clinics well laid out. Without self discipline they would never be able to stick to their plans, manage emergencies and yet lead a balanced personal life. While every plan revolves around Possibilities Listed & Actions Noted the real value of a good plan lies in the manner we take action to ensure we utilize the full potential of our plan.

Action Points:

1. Start planning and jotting down your New Year Resolutions. Remember it is never too early to plan.
2. What are your financial goals? How do you plan to achieve them? Do you have a target for savings for the coming year? How will you invest the savings?
3. Do you have a personal growth (physical / mental / societal / spiritual etc.) plan?
4. Can you recollect 2 plans which fetched you rich rewards? How did you go about planning and what were the rewards?

Power Act - from http://www.actspot.com/ is focused on -

Powering your Spirit to ACT Now.

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http://www.actspot.wordpress.com

SHAPE

To give SHAPE to anything be it a concrete structure like a sculptor or a building or a painting or an abstract concept like planning for the future, visualizing the coming trends or ideating the focus is on discovering the hidden, creating something new and allowing something to sprout and grow. What is unique about giving SHAPE to anything is the evolution that we actively or passively participate in which allows us to See How Artistic Plans Emerge.  It is possible that we may not entirely approve of or appreciate the end product but we cannot deny that it is the outcome of a plan that has borne fruit even if the fruits are sour or unpalatable for us.

Fashion trends epitomize this contrast between artistic talents that have maniacal following and equally vocal detractors who denounce the trends. The important lesson here is that shape is what emerges and the outcome does not have to appeal to all. The contrast between the old world poetry with its emphasis’ on rhyme, meter and beat is a far cry from the modern poetry that has shock value abstractness and disharmony as the backbone on which verses emerge.  Modern abstract paintings too follow a similar trend with interpretations holding the key to unraveling the shape that one can extrapolate from the realms of creativity. 

However, the shape of things to come have a major bearing on the habits, the following, the trends and lifestyle that people will succumb too. The wide range of mobile phones epitomizes this need for style to percolate into every niche that emerges in the market space. The bizarre fashion scene, the opulent life style of the rich and the famous, the emergence of new cults and the changing communication styles be it proliferation of the SMS language or the bastardisation of the original language with a mix of other regional languages are pointers to the SHAPE of things to come. 

This does not mean that we cannot have our own control over the shape of things that matter in our life. To begin with, we can work on giving shape to our hopes, aspirations and dreams. Goal setting is the key to this. In the beginning our ideas would be hazy, utopian, seem to be pipe dreams and occasional seem to be of demonic proportions. Other times we fail to let our imagination soar, get stuck in our little cocoons of limited aspirations and fear of failure often puts the brakes on allowing ourselves to think big and pursue our passions. Only if you can visualize it can you hope to attain it. Goal setting will provide the initial momentum to get going. However to give concrete shape to ones aspirations and dreams requires Hard work, Persistence and Self belief. Hard work will fuel the momentum, persistence will provide the encouragement no matter what the odds and self belief measures the progress that brings one closer to ones goals. Reaching the goal also helps SHAPE your character, your destiny and your dreams and then you can See How Artistic Plans Emerge to color up your life.

Action Points:

1. Revisit your childhood and attempt to do the following

• Make a paper boat
• Make an aero plane with paper
• Spin a top by looping the string around it and chucking the top
• Draw a scenery
• Get some clay and attempt your own clay models

1. Work on giving shape to the following

• Your financial goals
• Your career goals
• Your family goals
• Your health related goals
• Your leisure goals
• Your passion related goals

Power Act - from http://www.actspot.com/ is focused on -

Powering your Spirit to ACT Now.

You are also invited to visit our DAILY inspirational and motivational blog http://www.actspot.wordpress.com/