All of us have heard what is the importance of having a strategy for a company. This strategy can either be a corporate-level strategy, a business level strategy or a one corresponding to different functions of a business like marketing, finance, operations, human resources etc.
By now, we all are fairly aware of the fact that having a short-term and a long-term strategy is very essential for the success of a business. As Michael porter says......Strategy is a culmination of various activities which serve as the building blocks and it is doing these activities differently... .It is not only the operational effectiveness but the strategic positioning that helps a company gain a niche for itself and can think of gaining a competitive advantage over its rivals.... We see and hear about business tycoons at the top level who carve out a strategy for the business trying to make that extra mark in the market and to gain the trust of the customers
So this very fact of the business world made me wonder.... should we extend the concept of strategy to each individual's life or not? ... after all each individual human being needs to differentiate himself/herself from the others?.. Each one of us thus should create a strategy of our own life..!!
Strategy is simply a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal....
So let me ask all of you.. how many of you have actually drafted out a strategy of your life...?? Do you know clearly what you intend to do in the next 6 months, 1 year, 3 years and so on....I believe most of you would say NO.. Very Few people take the time to think through and jot down, a life strategy for the future... Needless to say.. each of us have certain goals in life. These goals can be personal or professional...for example finishing college, obtaining a particular degree, getting admission in a particular college , be able to be a good speaker, a good leader, attaining a specific professional position, reaching an athletic goal or achieving a particular level of personal income. Hence, what is crucial for each one of us is to fashion a wide-ranging and cohesive life strategy pertaining to 5, 10,15 or even 20 years into the future. Though it is important to live in the moment, one must not forget that formulating a strategy ensures something to look forward to and, at the same time, set productive goals that have meaning, substance, and represent a raison d'être for many years of living.
Let me illustrate through an example. Let us say that you want to enter the IIM's. It is very essential for you to have a strategy in place to achieve this goal that is how to intend to secure a seat in the much coveted IIM's. At the very start, you could join a coaching institute which can provide direction to your goal, then first work towards strong fundamentals, fix the hours each day you should devote to achieve your goal and work continuously, solve last year papers, work on speed as well as accuracy etc.
One very important point I want to emphasize is that though some people make a life strategy.. they become weak in following it. They leave it half-way , procrastinate and become hopeless. Once a strategy is designed, one should follow it religiously.
The key essence is that a life without any life strategy would become meaningless, like a fish without water. Any strategy built , should be based on a solid foundation of clear life-goals.
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