Most everyone is familiar with the ancient Chinese proverb that is sometimes translated, “The journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step.” Of course, the first step leads to the second, then the third. Completing any journey, any task or any series of goals is accomplished not just by taking the first step, but by assigning a proper order to all the steps and making certain they are completed in the correct sequence. The simplest way to express this is: prioritization of the necessary steps is required for you to achieve your goals.

Your Goals Become Your Road Map

Businesses are not just living things but moving things. As a business person or an entrepreneur, you know that quarterly and annual reports reveal the direction in which your business is moving. To make sure your organization is moving in a positive direction, you must have a well-conceived map, showing the company’s current location and its intended destination. Along the way, there are stations, points of achievement, that testify to the progress you a making. Your goals are the mileage markers, the progress points on your organization’s map of success.

Decide What Steps to Take to Achieve Each Goal

A certain, distinct number of steps is required to achieve each goal in your business plan. Just as a road trip requires traveling through a succession of communities and stopping points, so the accomplishment of each of your goals requires the prioritization of steps. Taking the steps out of order or trying to fulfill too many steps at one time almost invariably delays the process of achieving the next goal.

Set a Logical Progression of Steps

Another old proverb is especially pertinent for businesses: “Few ideas fail because they were carefully, fully planned out.” Prioritization implies reflecting on each step of the journey, considering possible results and ramifications, and establishing alternative steps. It is a rare destination to which there is only one possible route. Establishing a logical set of processes, via a flowchart with shared input, is the best way for you to determine priorities for your company’s journey.

Remember the Last Step: Celebration

For most folks who followed the Apollo 11 trek to the moon, simply arriving safely and stepping on the lunar surface was enough to proclaim success. For those involved, however, there was an awareness that the completed journey was just the beginning. Celebrate the success of completing your business’s voyage by deciding where you want to go after you have arrived.