The Success Principles by Jack Canfield: Principle 8

By Sheikh Idris Watts

Principle 8: Chunk It Down

Once you have your goals in place, set yourself measurable goals with specific deadlines and then determine all of the individual action steps you will need to take to accomplish your goal.

Consult people who have done what you already want to achieve and ask them what steps they took. They can clarify what pitfalls to avoid. Ask for guidance. Get used to asking, “Can you tell me how to go about…?” “What would I have to do to….?” “How did you…?” Keep researching and asking and when you have the opportunity to talk to people make sure you get benefit from them if they have a skill you can take from them.

You could start from the end and work backwards. You can purchase a book or manual that outlines the process. You can close your eyes and imagine that it is now the future and you have achieved your goal and then look back at how you got there. What was the last thing you did and then the thing before that? Keep doing so until you get to the start point.

In the day, identify 5 things you need to accomplish in a given day and priorities them 1-5. If you achieve the most important thing in your day first it sets the tone for the rest of the day. It creates momentum and builds your confidence both which help you move closer to your goal.

Plan your day the night before so that you are ready to take on the next day from the start. You will find you will have accomplished most of your goals by the morning when others are still getting ready to start.