How much time and energy have you devoted to planning your life? Most people seem to spend more time planning their vacations. I plead guilty. I’ve always had short term plans in my mind, but rarely did I put pen to paper on a long-term strategic plan. We all have the classic excuse – I’m too busy, raising my kids, climbing the corporate ladder, binging on the latest, Netflix series, etc.

I’ve somehow been able to get by without one. Call it luck or fate, the chips have fallen my way for most of my life. Today I wonder how much better things would be if I only had a plan.

When I was in my 30’s I had the attention span of a gnat. I did things on the fly and things worked out. I never got rich; however, I’ve been fortunate to live a somewhat comfortable life. I accepted jobs and, in most cases, managed to take a step or two up on the corporate ladder. I’ve been laid off and let go (fired). I don’t regret any of it because I met great people, learned a lot, and had fun along the way.

I will say it was harder than it needed to be because, I rarely wrote a plan and when I did I had a difficult time sticking to it. Enough about me. My purpose today is to encourage you to create a life plan.

Knowing Who You Are

There is some preliminary work that will help you create a plan that is worthwhile. needs to be done for you to create a plan that is worthwhile. It requires self-examination (this a mental examination). You must take the time to be by yourself and think. Many shutter at the thought of locking themselves in a room, alone, with nothing but their thoughts. Why would a person want to do this? Fear is the first word that comes to my mind. Most of us are afraid of what they might find out. I suggest we make it a habit (15 minutes a day) through what is now a mainstream practice called MEDITATION.

Start with Purpose

Mark Twain said, “The 2 most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why”. In other words, the purpose is your “WHY”. All this preliminary work means you’ve got to “swim in the deep end of the pool”. Superficial thoughts will only suffice if your outcome is a mediocre plan. Ask your higher power why you are here, what are your gifts and how you can apply these special gifts to make a meaningful impact.

Vision

This will require significant time and attention. As the title would indicate, vision is how you see yourself down the road. Include those things in life that are most important to you. Life is a journey so you’ll want to paint a picture of what your journey will look like moving forward. Maybe a better way to express the importance of your vision is how you’d like to be remembered.

Smart Heart Goals

Goals have been discussed ad nauseam. The importance of including goals in your life plan cannot be overstated. Most of us know what smart goals are. At the risk of telling you something you already know SMART pertaining to goals is an acronym:

• S – Specific
• M – Measurable
• A- Achievable
• R- Realistic
• Timely

The “SMART” part is self-explanatory. In Jim Kwik’s book, Limitless, he suggests adding another acronym to the process:

• H – Healthy
• E- Enduring
• A- Alluring
• R- Relevant
• Truth

Mr. Kwik says, “To get your goals out of your head and into your hands make sure they fit with your emotions — with your heart”.

Don’t forget – each one of your goals deserves an action plan. This is a step-by-step approach or a roadmap to achievement.

Summary

Your life plan must evolve as necessary. As your life changes so should your plan. I recommend a monthly review (at a minimum quarterly). Include your life plan review date in your calendar. The more it gets reviewed better chance you will stick with it.

Thank you for reading my blog. I am so grateful that you took time out of your busy life to do so. I’d love to read any comments, questions, suggestions