A Man With a Plan: Be Your Personal CEO

Facebook wasn?t built in a day and neither were Ahnuld?specs. You think Mark Zuckerberg and Co. just slapped their social networking goliath online without some meticulous planning or that Mr. Schwarzenegger simply worked his muscles at random? If that were so, you?d still be updating your MySpace page daily and there?d be no masterpiece that is Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

Be your own CEO

If these two examples show anything, it?s that reaching great heights in any arena takes not only willpower, talent and determination, but proper planning and organization. The same goes with realizing your own goals. If you want to make the most of yourself, you?ve got to have the organization skills of a CEO.

So, you want to make the dean?s list, climb Mt. Everest and score a record deal with Sony? First off, congrats on having such lofty (and oddly random), goals. Second, you better make a game plan or you?ll be flunking out, falling to your death and playing bowling alleys for the rest of your career. You need to consider all of your goals and budget your time, expenses, diet, etc. accordingly to achieve even one of them.

Bear with me for a minute. Two years ago I moved from Philadelphia back to my hometown in upstate New York. Living as a musician had taken its toll on my body (microwave burritos) and expenses (cross-country gas guzzling). I decided that I wanted to drop the gut and earn an honest living that didn?t involve hawking CD?s to drunken MILFs. After setting my goals (1. Get fit, 2. Get a paycheck), I planned my days for maximum goal achievement potential.

I stuck with a strict schedule and stayed organized. Gym was every other day from nine to eleven with pre-planned workouts and meals based on research and discussion with a personal trainer. Every morning at the same time, I pitched websites/publishers for freelance work with a template email, this also based on careful research and advice from other professionals. Two years later, the burrito belly is history and business is booming. I don?t know if I could be saying the same if I hadn?t properly planned and organized after setting my goals.

You might be thinking, ?Planning and organizing your life is easier said than done,? ?the best laid plans of mice and men,? etc., etc. I know no plan is full-proof, but that?s no excuse to get off track.

Look, the Beatles were turned down by nearly every record company on earth, but do you think that kept them from plotting to take over the world? Be your personal CEO.

Every business, from Coca-Cola to the guys that sell hemp necklaces on Venice Beach, has its ups and downs, its unexpected kinks. What do they do? They plan and organize so that not only are problems avoided, but that when issues arise they?re ready to tackle them and keep on chugging. You?ve got to do the same for yourself. If you?re trying to build muscle, but can?t hit the gym for days, do some pushups and use your body weight to your advantage. Make lemons out of lemonade ? or however the saying goes.

Your goals are your business, so treat them as so. Excel is your friend. There?s probably an iPhone app out there that will help you in your quest for success.? Maybe it?s as simple as keeping your English 101 notes separate from your dirty doodles of your professor. When you combine your talents with thoughtful planning and organization, you put yourself in a better position to achieve your goals. Mt. Everest might just be a spreadsheet away.