Last week I wrote a blog about planning and the basics of doing your plans for your business in the upcoming year. One thing that I didn’t touch on, that is more important than the business side of your life, is planning for YOUR LIFE. Now is not only the time to plan for your business in the upcoming year, but also the time to plan for your life.
We’ve all heard it, and probably said it, “Life is Short.” We all acknowledge it, especially when we lose someone unexpectedly. But what do we do about it? We typically say that we are going to try to enjoy life more and enjoy the time that we do have on earth with our family and friends. But then we get back into the daily routines and before long we look back and wonder where all of that time went.
This past year, at one of way too many celebrations of life that I attended, one of the speakers said something that resonated with me. He said, “Nobody knows how their story ends, but you can write the chapters leading up to it!” Then added, “Remember, there are no survivors in life.” Wow, that is to the point, isn’t it? There are NO SURVIVORS IN LIFE! Yeah, you could look at it in a defeatist way, or as a negative thought, but in reality, it should jolt all of us into the reality that we need to enjoy the life that we have.. now!
Take charge of the remaining chapters in your life, don’t write the book expecting to know when, or how it ends, just keep writing it the way you want it to go! Will it go as written? I guarantee you that it will not, there will be curves, setbacks, and all-out failures in life. But keep writing those chapters as you want them to turn out, and expect positive results!
When planning for what their future is going to look like, some folks use storyboards, some write goals, and some do nothing. You must go beyond those things and plan your life just as you would your business. Don’t just dream, write out how you are going to attain those dreams, and the steps to get there. Are those dreams going to happen in one year? Probably not, but they won’t happen in any number of years if you don’t plan and take the steps to obtain them. Some may dream of getting married and having a family, others may dream of overcoming an illness, or a family member overcoming an addiction, landing a dream job, or retiring, or …, the possibilities are only limited by those who are dreaming.
When setting your plan for life, just as in business, it is important to be grateful for what you currently have. If you are not grateful you will never reach your dreams because you will always be chasing more, more, more. Be thankful that you have more than enough, write your next chapter, plan your business and your life, and remember that no one survives this journey, so enjoy the ride!
Thank you for your time,
Brad