I love the saying that no one plans to fail; they fail to plan. There is a another saying in prize fighting, “Everyone has a plan until you get hit in the mouth,” but if you don’t have a plan, getting hit hurts a lot more than if you do.

The end of one year and the beginning of another is a time for reflection and resolution. We look back at the previous year and see the things we did wrong, or want to do better, and we resolve for the coming year to improve. We make resolutions, most of which fail, not because we are weak people; they fail because we don’t have a plan. I can help you with that.

I have three plans, a Five-Year Plan, a One (or this)-Year Plan, and a Do-it-Now plan. I’ll take you through all three, and you can develop your own.

The Five-Year Plan is just that, where I want to be in five years. It sounds simple, but I am amazed in conversations with my children and others how so very few have a vision or goal for where they want to be in the next short while, and five years isn’t all that long a period of time.

The One-Year Plan is what steps I am going to take this year to reach the goal stated in the Five-Year Plan.

The Do-it-Now Plan is the action part, what I can do right now to accomplish the year plan, toward the five-year plan. What I do today will result in my achievements in five years. Remember, the longest journey starts with a single step. Take action … today. That is how plans succeed.

In my planning, I have several categories that I focus on. They are spiritual, temporal, financial, educational, career, and last, but far from least, fun. These are my areas that I want to improve on in the next five years, one year, and every day until I reach my goals.

Spiritual is just what it seems. It is where I want to be in five years in my spiritual development. This one breaks down into daily reading, study, meditation, or prayer.

Temporal is how I want to take care of my physical life. This is where weight loss, exercise and health come in. For example, in five years, I want to be rid of diabetes. That may not be physically possible, but it sure won’t happen if I don't try. For the year goal toward the five-year plan, I want to lose 25 pounds. Today, I can start eating a better diet, getting more exercise.

The areas of focus are yours to imagine and work on. Each of us has different places we want to be in five years. It doesn’t matter so much what you plan for, so long as you plan.

I believe that the reason resolutions fail is that we try to do too much and get frustrated. I want to be rid of diabetes in five years, not one, and not tomorrow. I have five years to work on it, and because of that time allowed, I have a better chance of success.

One of the most important keys to success is evaluation and follow-up. Life happens, and we get distracted. That is one of the reasons for failure; we don’t maintain focus. I solve this by reviewing my plans the first Sunday of every month. This is the hard part, holding yourself accountable. Am I doing my daily things to reach my year’s goal, to reach my five-year goal? If not, why not?

Circumstances change, and you have to be flexible. If your goal was to run a marathon in five years, and you break your leg, you are going to have to modify your plan. Your training will have to change. The important part is, don’t quit. The marathon in five years is still out there and doable. You’ve encountered a bump in your road, not an obstacle. Obstacles are the things we see when we take our eyes off the goal. A written plan helps you maintain focus.

It is becoming a new year. Don’t resolve, plan, follow through and follow up. If you do, you will be amazed where you are at the close of next year. Work at it, and have a Happy New Five Years.

David Wilson Atwood is a local writer whose human-interest columns offer a unique perspective. He may be contacted, and his other works viewed, at www.starchasers.us, or david@starchasers.us.