Life Planning
"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." - Benjamin Franklin
The road is open in front of you. Take the pieces of your life, your hopes, dreams, talents, values, goals, experiences and put the pieces all together to design your dream life.
Creating a blueprint for your life success is a fun (albeit daunting) task. Think of it like a school assignment or work project. Give yourself a deadline, one-month from today, to have completed the task and break down each section piece by piece each week. You'll be done with it before you know it and proud of yourself for compiling a life plan.
Blueprint for ME (__________) Inc.
Understand Yourself - Personal History
What were your dreams as a kid?
Who do you admire most? Why? What qualities do they have? Why do you respect them? What can you learn from them?
What challenging time(s) have you experienced and what have you learned as a result?
Identify Life Purpose - Mission Statement
What are you passionate about? What do you love to do most?
What are your skills and talents? Define your strengths and core competencies.
What is your "Why"? What drives you to be the best version of yourself?
How would you live your life if money were no object?
Values
List your top 10. Or why stop at 10?
Identify Goals in each area (financial/career, health/mental/spiritual, travel/adventure, family/relationships, learning/growth, etc.) of your life that are specific SMART goals that align with your life purpose and values. Where do I want to be at each decade of my life?
Current (short-term)
5-Year Plan (mid-term)
10+ Year Plan (long term)
Bucket/Wish List
Define a Strategy
How will you reach your goals?
What obstacles might you face?
What will keep you motivated to succeed? (remember your why from part II)
Bonus: Create a vision board to motivate you to reach for your goals when the going gets tough.
Other questions to get you thinking:
If you were told you had limited time remaining, what would you do? How would your life change from what you do now?
How do I want to be remembered? If you're really brave, challenge yourself to write your own obituary.
What do you want to contribute to the world?
What makes you happy? This really should be your "Why."
What 5 people do I spend the most time with? Are they propelling me forward or holding me back?
Set healthy habits for yourself and track your success, daily, weekly, monthly and yearly
Additional interesting articles or resources on the topic:
If I were to die tomorrow, would I feel satisfied with my life?
What is my unique value proposition?
Who inspires me most?
Why do I get up in the morning?
How much did I learn today?
Who do I love, and have I told or showed them lately?
What is my definition of success?
Where will I be in five years if I continue down my current path?
Would the 5-year-old me be proud of the current me?
Imagine yourself being a very famous person 10 years down the line. What do you think you might have achieved that made you famous?
What's the thing holding me back?