From the book (Think and Grow Rich) by Napoleon Hill (Page 94)
Transformation of the intangible impulse, of DESIRE, into the tangible reality, of MONEY, calls for the use of a plan, or plans. These plans must be formed with the aid of the imagination, and mainly, with the synthetic faculty.
Put it in writing!
What are the chances of a builder successfully building a house or a skyscraper without the aid of a blueprint? I think that his or her chances would be about the same as a person trying to build a successful life without a written plan: very low.
We all know the importance of planning, however, a lot of us fail to realize how important it is to put our plans in writing. I don’t think that we fail to put our plans in writing simply because we don’t want to or because we don’t have time, but I think that we skip this most important step because of three major reasons.
Reason #1 - Lack of Cooperation
Typically when we’re planning something great, it involves more than one person….or at least it should. And since we know that people have very low attention spans, we know how hard it’s going to be to get 2 or more people together long enough to finalize a plan in writing.
Reason #2 - Lack of Passion
If someone approached you right now now and said that they’d give you $250,000 within 24 hours as long as you put a one page plan together (in writing) as to how you would spend/invest ALL of the money over the next 2 years, would you make it happen? If someone with experience approached you right now and offered to help you make a business plan within the next week for something that you’ve been dreaming about, would you take them up on their offer? Was it easier to answer the second question as opposed to the first?
Reason #3 - Failure to Block Time
I think this is the main reason that we fail to put our plans in writing. We tell ourselves and others that “we don’t have time”, “I have a lot going on”, or “I’m too busy”. How could one not have time to make a plan for something that they’re passionate about? Why would one NOT make the time to make a plan for something that they’re passionate about?
If we expect to reach our goals, we can’t keep believing and/or acting as if the best plans shouldn’t go in writing. Investors and Banks know this to be true, this is why most of them will request a business plan in writing BEFORE lending money.
We’re only fooling ourselves and delaying future disappointments when we continue to NOT put our plans in writing. Hey, don’t take it from me, Block 5 minutes of your Time to google “Importance of a Written Plan” and see how many supporting articles and websites come up. You just might be surprised!
~Matthew
Food for thought….
Are your current plans going as planned?
Are any of your current plans in writing?