ESPER: A framework for setting and accomplishing goals.

Establish.
Strategize.
Plan.
Execute.
Review.

** Establish
1. Mission statement.
 a. Winning Idea. Identify the winning idea or ideas.
 b. Measures. Identify the key measures of success.
 c. SMART. Make the goal specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timed.
 d. Refine.
2. Vision statement is a simple, motivating statement gleamed from the mission statement.

** Strategy
3. Actions. Identify key actions.
4. Obstacles. Identify obstacles and strategies to overcome them.
5. Environment. Prepare.

** Planning
1. Organize tasks.
2. Schedule.
3. Allocate Resources. (Time, energy, money, people)

** Execution
1. Execute.
2. Reminder. Be in constant reminder.
3. Attack. Excede the goal parameters early.

** Review
- Deliberate. Deliberately review to maintain accountability.
- Record. Write out the review and store for future goals.

Strategic Planning
1. Mission
2. Vision
3. Strategy
4. Tactics

"Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat." Sun Tzu

The E.S.P.E.R. concept was, I believe, originally developed by Celestine Chua http://celestinechua.com/blog/goal-achievement-esper/ . However, I combined it with strategic planning, which is taught in business courses. I think I simplified the concept and made it easier to memorize and use.

This can be used for goals of any size. However, it becomes more critical the larger the goal is.

I started with my mission statement being what I want to accomplish in my lifetime. Then made a vision statement that is motivating and energizes me whenever I think about it. That vision statement has become a mantra in my life.

Next, I created strategies necessary to accomplish my life mission and created major plans that accomplish those strategies. Each year on my birthday I evaluate the previous year and determine if I am satisfied with what I have accomplished or if I had as much fun as I planned and then set my sights on the next year.

I do the whole process yearly and monthly and schedule nightly according to what I want to accomplish the next day based on my monthly goals. I don't over schedule so that, if I get things done early in the day, I'm free to take the rest of the day off.

All this may sound complicated and unecessary but I believe it is necessary in order to ensure that you will not have regrets and that you are living your values. As far as complication, it's really easy once you get the hang of it, especially if you make a form that's easy to print out and store for later review.

An important final note: Trust is a very important concept. The most important person to keep promises to is yourself. Promises cannot be broken. They get their value from this very notion. I'm sure you remember times when you have been careful not to make a promise because you weren't sure you would be able keep it for whatever reason. The same goes for making promises to yourself. You have to be realistic about what you can accomplish with a goal.

If you're trying a new diet, it is unrealistic to think you will be able to do it for an entire year. There are too many factors that you may not have considered because of lack of information. A better strategy so that you can develop trust in your own ability to keep committments to yourself would be to start with smaller test goals. For example, set a goal to try the diet for 2 weeks with no exceptions. At the end of two weeks you will have learned a lot about how feasible the diet would be over a longer period of time.