WHY A ROADMAP IS ESSENTIAL ON LIFE’S JOURNEY

NO ONE WOULD DREAM OF TAKING A TREK THROUGH AN UNKNOWN MOUNTAIN RANGE WITHOUT A MAP AND A PLAN OF WHERE they ARE PLANNING TO HEAD. IT IS THE SAME WITH LIFE. OR at least IT SHOULD BE IF You WANT TO SUCCEEd! YET HOW MANY OF US HAVE CLEAR IDEA OF OUR DAILY PLAN AND HOW TO ACHIEVE IT LET ALONE A PLAN OF LIFE GOALS AND A STEP BY STEP PATH TO TREAD? I Am GOING TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME OF MY TRICKS AND TIPS FOR WRITING A ROADMAP TO SUCCESS AND HELP YOU to USE IT TO NAVIGATE YOUR WAY IN LIFE!

1. StART AT THE END

It seems obvious but there is no point to a routeplan if you don’t have an idea of where you are going. In my workshops I encourage people to think about where they would like to see themselves in 5 years time . And I get them to plan BIG … the big life visions that you would like to achieve but suspect may never quite come to fruition… the second home on the beach, the luxury yacht! It’s fine to dream big, just not to be bitter that your dreams are out of reach. Once they are written down I find the big dreams stop niggling at you, and by slowly working through the more achievable ones, who knows, they might just become reality! I suggest you start with 50 goals. Include the “big dreams” but also the more mundane: lose the weight you’ve tried unsuccessfully to lose, learn to play the piano, spend more time outside, pay off your credit cards, buy the red dress you covet in the boutique.

2.FIND HARMONY

To be in harmony with yourself you need your plan to be harmonious. If it is all about making money and there are no relaxation goals you will struggle to succeed. This is a LIFE plan and LIFE needs to be in balance. Look at your 50 goals. Assign them to a category. I use 8 categories: you may want fewer, merging some together. My categories are: Career and Business (where do you see yourself?) , Personal Growth (how can you improve yourself? what new things can you learn?), Relationships (family and friends), Lifestyle (here is where you put the yacht!), Finances and Money (pay off the credit cards!) Health (include diet and fitness here), Spiritual (anything that makes you slow down, and/or anything that gives back such as volunteering), Relaxation and Recreation (what recharges your mind and body? abseiling or cooking? we are all different!). Heres the tip - ARE YOUR GOALS IN HARMONY? If not how can you improve the balance?

3. TIME IT!

50 goals is a hell of a lot of goals! And, as we have said, not all of them are necessarily achievable (the yacht!) You need to pick out 2 or 3 ACHIEVABLE goals from each section. Remember, some of these “goals” are not things you need to work at, more things you plan to allow in your life and make time for, such as going out with friends or making time to read. Thats where the balance comes in. All work and no play makes Jill a dull girl! Now, when do you think you want to achieve these goals? You may think you can write a blockbuster novel by the end of the summer, but let’s face it you’re probably not going to. Make sure your goal is achievable… and remember we want to balance the novel writing with the novel reading! I split my goals into 3 month goals (my workshops revolve around a 90 day reflective plan), 1 year goals and 3 year goals. Some goals could be achieved quickly : I plan to walk at least 3 times a week, so pop it in the 3 month list. You’ll feel great at the end of 90 days when you have achieved it! Some are more complex: I want to write a blockbuster novel , may need to be split up into, for instance, write 3 chapters of novel in the 3 months list, and get novel published in the 3 year list. The 90 day (or 3 month) list is the one to focus on. The others are just for reference at the moment!

4. RULE THE DAY OR THE DAY RULES YOU….

….the day, the week, the month, the 90 days! It may seem like a lot of work, but all it takes is 10 minutes in the morning or last thing at night planning what you want to achieve and how you want to achieve it. That is the only way you can truly rule the day. Even if you plan to do nothing but sit in the sun with a magazine, plan it! My daily plan looks to my weekly plan which looks directly to my 90 day plan. My 90 day plan which focusses on 3 big goals, as well as how I plan to spend my R & R and (because its my thing) my reading list! I also have a “To Do” list for the 90 days that is not necessarily related to my 3 goals. For example on my current To Do list I have written repair the front gate, but that is not going to contribute to growing my online following by blogging every week or completing a module of my masters, both of which are current 90 day goals! I make sure to always make some time each day for myself and time to reflect, which brings me to …

5…… REFLECT, REFOCUS, RE-ENERGISE

Unarguably the most important part of the whole planning process and the part most people ignore is reflection. To go back to the mountain trek, its important to keep referring to the map, and checking you are on the correct track. Reflect on the highs and lows of the day’s (week’s or 90 day’s) trek. What did you achieve? How could you improve? What have you learnt from the process? If, unfortunately you have wandered, then it’s important to rethink the route in order to get back on track. If you are running behind schedule should you remove a loop form the walk in order to make it to the campsite before dark? Did you climb that massive outcrop of rock, if so note it as a victory! How do you feel today? Why do you think that is?

BUt seriously Don’t beat yourself up - learn from reflection and use it to re-energise.

It has been said before by one of literatures all time greatest planners that “after all, Tomorrow is Another Day!”

Scarlett O’Hara, Gone with the Wind (Margaret Mitchell, 1936)