I read a lot of books. A lot of them are just good information to build my knowledge in a certain topic area. The best ones are those that inspire me to take action, and Arlene Johnson's "Success Mapping" is one of those books.
The subtitle of the book is "Achieve What You Want…Right Now!" and, while I think that's a pretty bold promise, I think Johnson's book pays it off. This book takes a step-by-step approach to guide you through the process of challenging yourself, setting goals, and building out the texture to make those goals feel real to you. This all culminates in the creation of a detailed execution plan with milestones and check-ins.
What's the big deal about this book?
I know, I know…there are a lot of books that help with setting goals and making plans. "So what makes this one different?," you might ask. In my opinion, one thing that sets this book apart are the excellent 'worksheets' throughout the book. They take the concepts Johnson explains in her book and make them concrete and actionable.
I'm using the worksheets as I go along, and have found them to be very powerful in getting me to show my work around the ideas bouncing around inside my head.
The worksheets alone are worth the price of the book (I'm not kidding - the worksheets are sold in standalone form - check out the prices and you'll see that the book is a bargain).
Not just idealism
The other thing I like about the book is it tackles Obstacles head on. What I mean is it spends a fair amount of time taking the reader through an examination of various obstacles to success, and helps you create plans to mitigate the risks those obstacles represent. This basically means you can go into execution mode with your eyes open, and that you've already thought about contingency plans if one of these obstacles appears in front of you.
There is also practical advice on how to garner the resources you'll need (financial, people, skills, etc.) to achieve your successful outcome.
I recommend this book to anyone who's pursuing a goal (or who has lots of ideas but doesn't know where to start. While the book is definitely biased toward business people I think the concepts presented can apply to any goal you may have in your personal life, as well.
You should also check out the Success Mapping web site, where you'll find book excerpts, additional reference materials, and audio & video clips. And best of luck creating your personal success map with "Success Mapping!"