Everything Counts: 52 Remarkable Ways to Inspire Excellence and Drive Results

Chapter 8. Planning Counts

"Life will not go according to plan if you do not have a plan."

A well-defined plan—one that is properly executed—is your meal ticket to success. You significantly increase the odds of success in any endeavor if you know who you are, what you want, where you are going, how you will get there, and what you will do once you arrive.

Here's an interesting question: What makes it possible for a casino to turn a profit? Do the odds favor the house or the gambler? Even avid gamblers recognize that the odds always favor the house. Most of the people pulling levers, shooting dice, and playing cards lose most of the time. It's a safe bet that, in the view of casino managers, you are going to leave some of your earnings in their hands when you leave.

It may be something of an exaggeration, but you could say that when you walk into any casino, you sport a big "L" for LOSER on your forehead. No matter how sexy it appears, a casino is a competitively hostile environment, with the odds consistently favoring the house. This ensures that they win the majority of the time . . . and you lose.

The same can be said for your life. Try to achieve anything without a well-defined plan (even with a commitment to achieve), and you go in with a big "L" on your forehead. The competitive odds are in favor of the prepared, the focused, and the committed; they will outperform, outhustle, and outplay you.

Though it may seem like common sense, this fact is often overlooked: your life will not ...