You ever heard of a “Life Plan”?
I heard about it a year ago from Michael Hyatt. Last post I talked about “The Wheel of Life” which shows us the key life areas shaped like a wheel. But the Life Plan takes it down another level- more specific.
After you know your major life areas, the Life Plan helps us do a few things:
- Create a list values to live by
- Set standards for each key area of life
- Plan action steps for each key area
That’s it. Simple, right? It’s so simple no one does it and that’s the problem.
I’m sure there are tons of different ways of writing a life plan. In the one from Hyatt’s website you write a plan based on what your ideal situation would be for each key area of your life. For example this is what I wrote as the ideal situation in my health section:
“I am exercising at least four days per week; including strength and aerobic training. I am eating a balanced meal and getting 7 hours of sleep daily. My cholesterol is at a good level, my energy is high, and my mind is alert. My body feels nimble, toned, and ready for combat :). My memory is sharp and I can recall names, dates, faces, and facts easily.”
The Life Plan helps us find the specific steps we can take to stay on track for whatever goals we set on those key areas. What makes the Life Plan unique is that within each key area, there are additional categories to help us stay on track and motivated. Staying motivated seems to be the hardest part for me.
It takes time to write a life plan, but it’s worth it.
If you are not aiming your life towards some goals or objective, you can’t complain when you haven’t accomplished anything. That’s like people who complain about the President’s policies, but never vote.
This reminds of me something Zig Ziglar is famous for saying,
“If you aim at nothing; you’ll hit it everytime.”
Without something to focus on, how do you know where you are headed? No one plans to fail, we just fail to plan. And when we fail to plan, we prepare to lose.
Google some of the plans out there and see if any of them interest you. Find something to aim at. You can adjust along the way, so don’t worry to much now about what to focus on. Just take the first step. The next step will become clear as you move forward.
Hi Andres,
I found your site from Twitter today, nicely done. I like the articles you wrote and how transparent you are with how your 30’s did not turn out like you had planned but you are now planning to make your dreams come true.
I came out of college with no loans and created a software business that allowed me to retire at 50 yrs old when I sold it. I would agree that you must plan to make things happen. Even with planning it does not always work out but at least you have a better chance.
After being retired for 3 years, this year I started another software business (I still love business), developing mobile apps (my first app is about to hit the Apple app store: http://www.amemoryjog.com). During the year I have been using software called GoalsOnTrack (www.goalsontrack.com) and it really does help align goals with tasks. I am not affiliated with that company in anyway but I thought I would pass that along because it has worked pretty well for me.
Keep up the great blogs, I look forward to see more of them.
Thanks, Steve, for the comment and for the resources. I’ll make sure to check it out.