We all desire to win in life, but winning doesn’t just happen. We have mapped out our success with a plan. Having a plan is only the first phase though. Here are 3 steps to aid you in creating a winning formula for success.

“W” – Work the Plan – as stated before, it is not enough to just have a plan, you must also work the plan that you have created. You see the plan is the bigger picture, but the steps we take are the bite-size chunks that get us there. Setting small, measurable, and attainable goals every quarter is a great way to chip away at your plan until you reach your end goal. This way you do not become overwhelmed with everything at once. Think of your favorite pie or cake. If you cut it into 10 slices and every day you eat a slice until it is gone for the next 10 days, then you accomplished your goal of finishing your cake. It’s the same way with setting quarterly goals. For each step I will give you a challenge for each step to complete, so here is your first one.

• Challenge: Sit down and pick 3 major goals to accomplish for the 2018 year, then set 3 small goals for each of those major goals to accomplish in the first quarter of the year. January, February, and March should be the foundational months for your plan to begin being birthed.

“I” – Integrate Other People – most of our dreams are not anything we can accomplish alone. The statement “It Takes a Village” is very true as it relates to our success in life. Honestly, no one has become who they are by doing everything alone. Beyoncé wouldn’t be the superstar singer/songwriter/producer/entertainer she is today if people had not helped push her. You have to have fans to make it in the music industry. Ultimately her following is what catapulted her to stardom in addition to her hard work and talent. It’s time for each of us to be our own Queen Bey by getting people on board with our dream. I am a firm believer that God has people scattered along our path to help propel us to the next level. One of the prayers I say frequently is “Lord, let me daily connect with the people that you have ordained to help take me to the next level in this life”. We were not created to be an island. We have been created to be codependent beings and therefore our success in always connected to someone else’s’. We cannot be afraid to ask for help when we don’t know something. Many times we will have to pay for someone’s expertise where we lack the know-how, but this is a necessary investment to achieve the dream.

• Challenge: Make a list of people that you know you can count on for support and people who can help aid you in the business aspects of your dreams (i.e. marketing, branding, etc.). Then construct a schedule of when you contact these key people to ask them for their help in whatever way you need it. Remember, we have not because we ask not!

“N” – Nurture Your Goals – I know this may sound weird, but sometimes we can get so wrapped up in all that we need to do, that we lose sight of all that we have accomplished. It is important to celebrate the small victories and milestones we reach on our journey to the end goal. A part of a good parent’s job is to celebrate their children because it encourages them to keep pushing. That’s why our mom’s hung our ugly drawings on the refrigerator. It wasn’t about them being perfect, it was about them showing us that they appreciate our effort and understood where we were at that age and where we would be going as we progressed.

• Challenge: Simply celebrate. Bask in your milestones because that will propel you to the next level. One victory pushes you to the next.

Lovies, let’s get out there and W.I.N. We have a purpose to fulfill and passion to fuel it.