By JOHNNY CARCIOPPOLO / Community Columnist

Top salespeople and business owners have one thing in common. They have taken the time to sit down and create a clear blueprint for themselves and their future. Even if they started the process of goal setting and personal strategic planning with a little skepticism, every one of them has become a true believer.
They have been amazed at the incredible power of goal setting and strategic planning. Every one of them has accomplished far more than they ever believed possible in selling and they attribute their success to the deliberate process of thinking through every aspect of their work and their lives, and then developing a detailed, written road map to get them to where they wanted to go.
Happiness has been defined as, “The progressive achievement of a worthy ideal, or goal.” When you are working step-by-step toward something that is important to you, you generate within yourself a continuous feeling of success and achievement.
You feel more positive and motivated. You feel more in control of your own life. You feel happier and more fulfilled. You feel like a winner, and you soon develop the psychological momentum that enables you to overcome obstacles and plough through adversity as you move toward achieving the goals that are most important to you.
Personal strategic planning begins with determining what it is you believe in and stand for – your values. Your values lie at the very core of everything you are as a human being. Your values are the principles and core beliefs of your personality and your character. The virtues and qualities that you stand for are what constitute the person you have become from the beginning of your life to this moment.
Successful people are successful because they are very clear about their values. Unsuccessful people are fuzzy or unsure. Values clarification is the beginning exercise in building self-confidence, self-esteem and personal character. When you take the time to think through your fundamental values, and then commit yourself to living your life consistent with them, you feel a surge of mental strength and well-being. You feel stronger and more capable. You feel more centered in the universe and more competent of accomplishing the goals you set for yourself.

Here are some things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, decide for yourself what makes you truly happy and then organize your life around it. Write down your goals and make plans to achieve them.
Second, begin with your values by deciding what it is you stand for and believe in. Commit yourself to live consistent with your inner most convictions – and you’ll never make another mistake.

Finally, identify your areas of weakness. Take action and invest in training your staff and yourself.