No great accomplishment has ever been achieved without planning. When Sir Edmund Hillary conquered Mount Everest, he wasn’t out for a stroll and all of a sudden found himself at the summit! To make a change to your life you have to plan to make the change or it won’t happen.
Prior to commencing your training course, take the time to think about your personal goals, and work out a study programme with targets or indicators of success along the way. To help you get started, use the acronym Smart to qualify the goals you plan to achieve. Smart stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and targeted.
Use the following five D’s to help you get emotionally involved with the result of your efforts. Write your five D’s down in a contract to yourself.
DEFINE exactly what you expect to get from your efforts, in terms of possessions, income, lifestyle etc. Make a collage of pictures that reflects these things, and look at them regularly (e.g. before your study sessions). The more specifically you define what you want, the better.
DESIRE. Explore your emotions for this one, and dig deep to discover why your studies are important. Is it to prove to yourself or others that you are an achiever, and that you deserve better things? Perhaps you want more control in your life, or maybe it’s a personal challenge.
DEDICATION (the commitment) How much time will you spend studying each week and when? Put it on a calendar, in a diary, or on the fridge! You’ve made an appointment with yourself to fulfil your future, so keep it; it’s really important to put specific time aside to study. Let the people in your life know when that is, so they won’t expect you to do other things at that time (just as they don’t when you go to your job). Psychologically you’ll also find it much easier on yourself if you do this. It means when you’re relaxing you won’t be feeling guilty that you’re not studying, and when you’re studying you won’t be feeling you’re missing out on some other activity.
DETERMINATION – The will to stick to the plan until completion and see it through. This is your contract to ensure that you won’t let yourself down.
Having a plan and targets to work towards gives you a DISCIPLINE that helps you to power through the tough times that will occasionally strike you.
Your contract is a working document designed to assist and strengthen you through the change in your life. Keep it close by, and take time to look at it regularly. Add inspiring thoughts and ideas to it that will keep you on track and spur you on. The more emotionally involved you get with the results of completing your course, the sooner you’ll get through it. Expectation of good things, along with planning and goal-setting, have proven time after time to bring the desired results to fruition.
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