You don’t have to be a genius or a visionary or even a college graduate to be successful. You just need a framework and a dream.

Michael Dell

A blueprint is really important in building a house because people know where to start. When starting anything in life, it’s good to know where to start and have the end in mind. A framework is pretty much a blueprint of the foundation that you’re planning to build on.

Think of framework as “frame”. The frame of a house is like the skeleton of the house. Once that’s up, it’s easy to fill in the floors, walls, interior, etc. Imagine trying to fill in those details first however? It would be a lot more difficult and a lot more trial and error.

I’m here to tell you that there’s a framework for almost everything in life. From cooking, to making money, to even sex. There is a ton of data (accidental or intentional) out there that is good enough to draw a framework from about anything.

Having a framework and following a recipe is are what make a solid blueprint. Image if you’re building a house with a blueprint that has details missing. Would you feel confident and comfortable with building the house? That’s exactly what happens to people and why they never accomplish their goals.

Structure is very important and I’ve learned that the hard way. Procrastination is a real killer, trust me. Although I probably don’t need your trust. You all have some idea of how procrastination is the seed for stress and half-assed results in anything.

Blueprint Example

A good blueprint example is a good business plan. How much you need to start the business, how much of a loan you need to take out (if any), finding a good spot, doing product market research, estimated interest and predicted annual income. The predicted annual income is based on the market research, other businesses in the area and similar businesses. Depending on the business, finding a good wholesaler or researching different wholesale options and how to pick a good one is also key.

Don’t forget about aesthetics. If this is a brick and motor place, hiring an interior designer to work on a floor map with you is also something to take into consideration. Logo’s, signs, permits and staff qualifications are also important.

Once the business plan comes together, you have an effective blueprint. Now you have an end in mind and a means to an end. The details are important, but not flawless. That doesn’t matter, however. Starting without the business plan and patching it up along the way takes more time and wastes more money in the long run than taking two weeks to a month of planning and research. Cut your losses short and minimize the patch work as much as possible before getting on the road.

A predictable Ending

Whether it’s because you had a blueprint or if it’s because you didn’t, there’s always a likely, predictable outcome. Most businesses fail because there was no solid plan. That leaves a lot of room for unpredictability. When that happens, more time and effort is spend on patching up the business and fixing emergencies than there is on expansion. Now, you also have to multitask and clean up the mess while trying to maintain the business.

This tends to get overwhelming because businesses take a small hit in this haphazard maintenance mode and people usually end up abandoning their business.

On the other hand, when a well put together business plan becomes the blueprint to build the business upon, now confidences comes in predictability. The only hiccups along way are minor and hardly pressing. There are no surprises here. The building process is not a bumpy road anymore.

Try to use this blueprint process for your whole life. Diet, exercise, your social life, sleeping, etc. Organization (not micro-organization!) is the foundation for a less stressful life and the path of least, long term resistance.

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