You look at the long term: __ You develop a vision that guides your long-term effort, and allows you to see the road ahead as one that may be long and winding, but that leads inevitably to a chosen end. __ You remain flexible so you can respond to changes in attitudes, circumstances, and needs as time goes on, in order to keep moving toward the fulfillment of your vision. __ You maintain your gains, and don't get complacent, so that you're always moving forward, rather than trying to make up lost ground. __ You're patient, and continue to work at advocacy, even when it may seem that nothing is happening as a result of your efforts. __ You persevere over the long term, continuing to work indefinitely in the service of your vision. You plan for the long term: __ You create a participatory strategic planning process. __ You consider the issue in its historical, political, economic, and social context. __ You anticipate short- and long-term trends and attitudes. __ You develop short- and long-term goals and objectives. __ You choose short-term goals that are achievable, and can be used to motivate your allies and supporters to persist in their advocacy. __ You make sure that your ultimate goal is realistic, not a huge global vision that you can't possibly influence without world-wide or nation-wide organization and support (unless a feasible part of your goal is to construct that organization and support through your advocacy). __ You are proactive, offering ideas for resolving issues, instead of waiting for others to propose plans. You prepare for the long term: __ You prepare yourself by creating organization or an organization, paying attention to: Coordination Communication Day-to-day management. __ You prepare and motivate allies and other supporters by: Being honest about the need for perseverance and the probability of at least occasional setbacks. Maintaining and demonstrating optimism and passion for the cause. Liberally handing out public and private praise Celebrating successes and effort. __ You prepare and educate policy makers by establishing and maintaining relationships with them, and giving them the benefit of your research and knowledge of the issue. __ You prepare and educate the public by working closely with the media. You commit to the long term: Resources Drive to continue the effort Reevaluation and adjustment of the plan Maintenance of past gains and of the effort as a whole
