Plan a Really Exciting Life and Leave Nothing Out
Series B – Topic 1
“Turn the noise of your life into music with a Plan.”
SERIES B: Topic 1
Choosing and Using Goals
Many people make the most important decisions of their lives based on their present situation. That is like setting sail for Tahiti in the direction that looks best from the dock! How much planning does the rest of your life deserve? A Harvard study found that, financially, those with a plan did seven times better than those without a plan. When you write a plan, it becomes the framework for your life. When you have not written a plan for your future, you are probably using one of these four standard plans:
- You do what seems to work until you feel pain; then you do something else.
- You follow a vague plan, which changes to suit your moods.
- You settle for whatever happens.
- You work so hard at what you are doing now that you don’t spend time planning where you want to go.
Your Plan is the map to the life you want. It sets your direction, funnels your energies toward your goals and makes you alert to more facts and ideas that can help you make your Plan happen.
Start your Plan by writing down any thoughts, wishes and imaginings in any order. Then arrange them in the order you will most likely be able to accomplish them. This will create the most efficient path to your goals. The better you plan, the less time you’ll waste recovering from unnecessary mistakes and dead ends. Your Plan will align, prioritize, and funnel your decisions, energy and resources toward the goals you have chosen. Your Plan will then tell you how you are doing, what is coming up and how to prepare.
To stay on course, you need to be able to look at it often, so you must write it down. Your Plan is your compass.
When you start your Plan, pick as many goals as you want. The best goals will challenge and excite you! Make your goals match your talents.
Start where your Plan will end and plan back toward today.
You can add or remove details and wishes to your Plan as you think of them.
The good news is that the Plan you choose does not have to be right; you can change it as your thinking improves.
Big goals do not require giant steps or great talents. You accomplish big goals by doing a good job with the items on your to-do list and dealing with your goals in the right order.
Goals are not to pressure or force you to try harder. The more interesting your goals are, the more motivation they will give you to go after them.
Your goals are to give you direction, not to put demands on you. Accomplishing them is not as important as how you live while you are heading toward them.
When you have long-term goals that are clear and exciting, and you are prepared to do whatever it takes to accomplish them, your creativity and motivation make you hyper-alert to possibilities and ways to improve your course. Besides, when your plans, priorities, and wants are clear, they are easier to follow.
Your life automatically heads toward the life you envision and makes your goals easier to achieve.
…………………………Ask Yourself…………………………
How much quality thought have I put into planning my life?
Which area of my life needs the most planning now?
Which of my goals excites me most? When I achieve the next big goal, what will I do to celebrate?
