Happy New Year to you all, the fact that you are reading this post means that you managed to make it into 2017! We wish you a peaceful and prosperous new year. The year 2017 should be much better than 2016, most of us would like to forget 2016 in hurry-terrible year.
So most of you should be in a planning mode-new year resolutions, dropping off bad habits, upskilling, new job hunting, new relationships etc. Planning is good as it enables you to measure progress against set targets, it gives you control over events, it allows you to put aside resources for certain activities. Planning helps to reduce surprises and in some cases planning brings peace of mind.
Fear of Planning
Now despite the many advantages that come from planning why are many people afraid of planning? It is tough to get an answer but the common reason is that most people are afraid of failing! The fear of failing is the number one reason why some would rather sail through the next 365 days taking each day as it comes. In some cases it can even work that you just live from day to day taking advantage of opportunities and risks as they arise but its a very risky way of living.
Factors to consider in your 2017 planning
- Global Events: Do not plan in isolation, consider global events or issues. What does the victory by Trump mean for your country, area and community? What are the predictions in terms of climatic changes? Are we going to have good rains in 2018? Will it be Elnino or its opposite?
- Election Period: Zimbabwe will be entering an election mode with temperatures expected to rise in the coming few months, how is it going to affect you? Do you have any lessons learnt from previous elections?
- The Economy: The Economy is closely related to Politics mentioned above, what is going to be the impact on your resolutions? What are Economists saying not only about Zimbabwe but about Africa and our region?
- New Trends: What are the emerging trends that are still to come to your country? For instance in Nigeria Bitcoin fraud has taken the country by storm, it is slowly coming this side. What are the new gadgets that are coming up and making an impact in other countries but yet to come to Zimbabwe?
- New issues that came up in 2016: So what is totally new that cropped up in 2016 that caught everyone by surprise? Is it the emergence of bank queues? Is it the new electronic way of registering new students at schools? Is it the new instrument that banned imports? Is it the banning of the Quails? You may need to create your own list of possible new issues that will take everyone by surprise.
- What is missing? The above 5 factors could have missed important issues, brainstorm and find out what it is that I have missed.
Planning as a Family
One of the reasons why some plans fail is due to the fact that most people plan alone. Do not work in isolation if you have a family then take time to sit down and plan together. What do you want to achieve in 2017? How are you going to do that? Its important to have a family goal where everyone within the family shares the same vision. Do not forget to include your children too in the planning session. They are key stakeholders and decisions being made affect them. They need to know of challenges expected, they need to pull in the same direction. The advantage of including children is that they learn about planning at an early stage.
Risks and Opportunities
What were the top 5 risks that cropped up in 2016 for you? Were you affected? Are there any lessons learnt? Will the same risks crop up in 2017? What new opportunities came up in 2016? Did you grab opportunities that came up in 2016? What other regional opportunities exist? Do you have a plan to take advantage of them in 2017?
So ZBIN wishes you success in your planning sessions as you set your 2017 targets. Don’t worry about failing as studies in the USA have shown that most people do set new year resolutions but only 8% achieve them. In the follow up article, we will cover planning at corporate level.
All the best in 2017
True a lot of people fail to plan due to fear of failure.l have friends who they have no idea on what to expect a year ahead.l think people have made it a tradition juss to live life blind folded. Our education system is also failing people on this aspect,because people are told to go to school, get good grades and find a better paying job. A lot of people are being planned for their lifes with their boses. These bosses 3% of the population in the world are making it big because they plan their years,months,weeks and days. Planners are winners. 48 % of people who plan become successful compared to 8% of people who do not plan accoelrding to study in the US.So thank you for encouraging people to be active planners and we shouldnt forget to “If God permits” and praying so hard that our plans and actions determine our success.
Thank you very much Melusi for your brilliant input. Looking back at the article I realise that I have left a lot of stuff. One key weakness is that I concentrated more on the business side and did not cover the spiritual nor the health side of planning.
Hie
Thanks for the information very valuable and informative it only that people are afraid of the unknown.If you surrounds your environment with negative things it will create the negative wall within all your system and it will be difficult for you to overcome it.Most people fail because they do not plan and have strategy for their lives.They just wait for the day and live it as it come.