Have you ever tried to start a project without having everything in order? It's pretty difficult, no? Ideas are everywhere, in notebooks, on post-it notes, in your head. And for some reason, you can never seem to get your ideas off the ground. I wonder why that is...

This past week, the United States made a valiant effort to rid the world of mastermind, Osama Bin Laden. Do you think they didn't have a plan in place? Of course they did, and it was calculated. Why? Because they wanted to win and wanted to minimize any opportunity for error.

The same holds true for business and also for yourself. In business, it isn't just about having an idea. It's about having an idea and then organizing it into a plan so that you can get from point A to point B. If your notes are everywhere, how do you expect to connect the dots and see your plan through to fruition?  The same holds true for your personal life.  Think about it. If I want to become a Lawyer or a Doctor, there's a plan, it's called a curriculum, that you must complete in order to graduate with the necessary classes to go on to become a Lawyer or a Doctor.

Learn to develop a well-formulated plan for your business. In your personal life, create a goals statement, and stick to them.  If you run into obstacles, know how to overcome them. By having a plan in place, it will also help you learn to minimize risk and help keep you focused on reaching your hopes and dreams (goals).

Remember, every idea starts with a plan. Those that are successful are those that stay focused and stick to the plan, regardless of if things get bumpy along the way.

Keep growing. I believe in you.

JR