This is something that intrigues me about business. It’s possible to write fiction and make it come true.

About six weeks ago I sat down in front of my computer and put numbers into a spreadsheet to create a forward-looking plan for the sales, expenses, and earnings of my projector rental business. In my spreadsheet I made adjustments to pricing, purchasing plans, etc to create better results on paper. As I was playing with those numbers, I felt like I was creating fiction – just dreaming things up. My spreadsheet predicted a substantial improvement in profitability. The math looked good, but it still felt abstract and detached from reality to me.

Then I took the actions required to bring reality in line with the spreadsheet. I adjusted pricing, ramped up purchasing, and hired an additional staff member. I even went so far as telling my wife the specific financial results I was expecting from the month of May, but still I doubted. The predictions of the spreadsheet seemed too good to be true.

I had to laugh when I got May’s financial statements, because the numbers came in almost exactly as planned. My inner pessimist was proven wrong, and basic arithmetic held up. The fiction I wrote came true through deliberate action. What would have happened if I had put bigger, bolder numbers into that spreadsheet?

Consistently following an intentional plan will get you where you want to go almost every time. It takes courage to do that when it still feels like fiction. Trust me, it works.