Do you feel as if your life is spiralling out of control and you never have the time or energy to focus on the important things? Are you at a crossroads and unsure which way to go? Or is everything ok (ish), but you want to know how you could live a happier and more fulfilled existence. If this sounds familiar, then perhaps it’s time to think about life planning?
What is a life plan?
You have a financial plan to make sure you can retire well. You have a business plan, to help you succeed in your business. So why not have a life plan that will enable you to feel more in control of your life and give you a clear path towards the things you want?
A life plan is a living document. It’s like a roadmap for your life that helps you to prioritise what’s important to you, make decisions based on your priorities and move toward the life you want. It is your own personal guide to how you want to live, what is important to you and what you need to do to achieve the life you want.
A life plan is also flexible – it needs to accurately reflect your changing values and priorities. This means that once it has been created for the very first time, it will need to be reviewed monthly, quarterly and annually to ensure that you remain on track.
Where do you start?
Writing a life plan starts with recording your thoughts and ideas, on paper or electronically, and will mainly focus on you answering three key questions:
- What are your priorities for the future?
- How do you feel about your current lifestyle?
- How do you want to be remembered (your eulogy)?
- Priorities
Time to ask yourself what matters most to you and make a list of ordered priorities. These could cover everything from health/wellbeing, family, social or relationships, to community, self-development, work, recreation/fun or spiritual needs. Prioritising the areas you want to focus on, will help you identify your values and the things that are non-negotiable going forwards.
2. Current lifestyle
Allow yourself to dream big. Imagine your ideal life, the kind of person you want to be, the things you want to improve in your life and how you want others (friends, family, work colleagues or even your boss) to perceive you. This refers to your career, finances, relationships, skills/qualifications, work/life balance and even health. You need to think how you will measure your improvement and define your success. Remember that success is a very personal thing.
3. Eulogy
Deciding how you want to be remembered is a hard thing to do. You need to dig deep and be honest. The process will be both emotional and empowering. Think about what people would say about you right now if they were speaking at your funeral and then write down what you really want them to say about you.
Take action
Ok so you have the basics of a life plan, now you need to act in order that each one of your priorities happens. That’s where I can help. By supporting and encouraging you I can help you to become the person you want to be, enabling you to not only enrich your life but also those of everyone you meet.
The only things certain in life are birth and death, but the exciting and inspiring thing is that you get to choose what happens in between. Please get in touch if you want help to shape your future.
