Design the Life You Desire With a Life Plan

When you engage in active planning, you’re highly likely to be more successful in life. You know what you want and how you intend to get it.  Let’s face it.  Many people just let life happen.  It’s important to realize, though, that you can plan the life you want and make that happen.

These tips will help you devise or tweak your Life Plan so you can move forward toward realizing the joy and fulfillment you deserve.

Take some time to answer the following questions about what you most want out of life. Who knows, you may have a detailed Life Plan before the week is done!

1.     What are your dreams? Allow yourself some "dream" time to clarify to yourself what you really want. Be as over-the-top as you like. Then, write them down.

·      There's no limit to the number of dreams or how large they are. Life provides opportunities to let go of certain goals and add new ones. Infuse your Life Plan with all your dreams and goals.

2.     What's important? Whatever you feel is crucial to you should be reflected in your Life Plan. Maybe you've always wanted to have more education. Perhaps you've wanted to travel but haven't the time or money to do it. Owning a home might be the single most important thing in your life. If it’s important to you, include it.

3.     What do you want to accomplish? What do you want to achieve? Now's the time to write down what you want to do with your life.

·      List what you want to attain in the personal, professional and educational areas of life.

4.     What standard of living do you desire? Your answer will describe the life you want. Do you want to live in a high-rise apartment in the city? Do you want to own your own farm in the country? Maybe you prefer to live simply and pick up and go wherever you want.

·      Perhaps you want to earn more money, live in a large house, drive an expensive car, and enjoy wearing pricey clothes.

·      Consider what standard of living you want so you can include it in your Life Plan.  There are no “wrong answers”.

5.     Do you have fun? Maybe, to you, having fun means locking yourself in your study to read all day. If you’re active, you might find training and running a triathlon to be a something you want to achieve in your life. Activities such as yoga classes or traveling to Europe might be important to you – whatever brings you joy.

·      If you answer this question with a "no," it's time to get serious about your fun. You'll require some time to think about activities you might enjoy. List activities that you used to do and no longer have time for or would love to do.  

6.     Are you spending time with friends and family? Generally, those who are the happiest make time for their family and friends. If this issue is important to you, include it in your plan.

7.     What do you do for your community? Giving back to your community cultivates feelings of gratitude, satisfaction, and fulfillment in your own life. Donating money, time, or energy for the good of others enables these positive feelings to be an inherent result when you write them into your Life Plan.

8.     Are self-improvements high on your list? Striving to excel helps keep you moving toward your life goals. Include short term achievements for many areas of your life.

Develop your Life Plan, revisit it quarterly and change it as your wants and desires evolve. Having a Life Plan keeps you focused on all your goals and will motivate you when you need that extra push.

Once you have your Life Plan in place, it’s important to integrate it with your finances, so that dreams don’t stay dreams but become reality.  You can have the life you want.