Sep 2, 2020
Taking control of your life
You have the potential to take control of your time and live the life you want. All you need is a pen, paper, and the commitment to create your own Life Plan.
To take control of your life, you need a Life Plan
Your Life Plan will help you identify your priorities, set goals, and create a strategy to actualize them
Our career flourishes at the expense of our health and marriage. Or our fitness skyrockets, but we lose touch with our community because we spend every free moment at the gym.
A Life Plan is a document, between 8 and 15 pages long, that you write, describing what your ultimate life looks like. This vision will help you identify your personal priorities and create an Action Plan to support each of them.
Just like a GPS system, your Life Plan will help you continuously evaluate where you are, where you want to go, and how you’re going to get there. This way, you can correct your course if necessary.
Your vision of your legacy will guide the design of your Life Plan.
When you die, how will people remember you? A tough question, but remember: thinking about your legacy will help you identify your life priorities, and so it’s crucial. Your legacy is your destination. Your Life Plan will be your means of getting there.
Reflect on who’s at your funeral, too, and how they feel. What memories will people share? Are those memories rich and loving? Or do they fall a little flat? How does that make you feel? Is there anything you wish people were saying, but aren’t? These reflections will reveal what’s currently missing in your life.
Determine your priorities by evaluating your Life Accounts.
Our Life Accounts are the various components that make up your life, from your hobbies to your most valued relationships. Typically, they fall under three headings: “Being,” which includes your intellect, spirituality, and physicality; “Relating” — or the relationships and communities you participate in; and “Doing,” which covers work, finances, hobbies, and pursuits.
Now it’s time to reflect on the health of all your accounts. Which are doing well, and which ones need your attention? Make a note beside each.
“The people who live and lead with the most joy and contentment are those who have clarity about their priorities.”
To fulfill your Life Plan, you need to commit to a clear course of action.
Now it’s time to write your Action Plans — the roadmaps that lead you to your envisioned destination. Make your Action Plans specific and measurable, and put a timeframe on them.
Dedicate a full day within the next two weeks to writing your Life Plan.
To implement your Life Plan, you must take responsibility for how you spend your time.
Your Life Plan will only serve you if you put it into action.
To do this, read your plan aloud every day for 90 days. This will really cement it in your mind and heart.
After 90 days, set aside 15 to 20 minutes each week to review your plan. During these sessions, evaluate how you’re tracking with your goals. This will help you maintain control of what’s commandeering your time so that you can refocus your priorities, if necessary.
Conduct a full review of your plan every quarter. Read it through once, then write five to seven goals for the upcoming quarter. Reflect on whether you need to make any course corrections.
In a world of overwhelming demands, it’s easy to get carried off course. But life is too valuable to let yourself get caught up in other people’s agendas. To live the life you really want, you have to accept responsibility for your choices. A Life Plan will keep you focused on what you cherish most and will help you formulate the actions you need to take to support your priorities. A solid and relevant Life Plan is the best road map to life you can have.
