If you’re like me, you’re incredibly busy. I am a husband, father, ministry leader, small group member, blogger, member of several boards. I’m sure your list of roles is similarly lengthy. Many people plan work projects, starting a new business, vacations, entertainment, careers, building a new home. But, sadly, I’ve met very few people who have a plan for their life.
This post is part of the series – Personal Life Planning that Works
Your Life Matters
Grow on Purpose
3 Reasons Everyone Should Have a Personal Life Plan
The #1 Way to Get Better Results with Your Personal Life Plan
3 Personal Life Plan Tips Most People Miss
As a result, they come to the realization that a major portion of their life has slipped away. And, discouraged and disillusioned, they try to figure out why they’ve not been more effective.
We all want our life and work to matter. And I have a conviction that every person is valuable and every life is worth developing. In short, your life matters!
Yet the harsh reality is – HOW you live determines how much your life will matter. And if my life is going to matter, I’ve got to be very intentional with how I live it.
Write a plan
So, 8 years ago I wrote a life plan. I used it for nearly seven years with minimal results. I knew I had to change – I recently wrote about why I threw it away. If you’ve never had a life plan, learning from my experience may save you some trouble.
In 2011, I started over – I wrote a new life plan using concepts I learned from Michael Hyatt. This experience has resulted in dramatic improvements in my life, in my work, in my home, in my relationships.
Still not convinced? Then check out 3 reasons everyone should have a life plan.
Personal Life Plan Accounts
My plan is relatively simple – less than 5 pages. And it’s basically a list of top priorities in my life –
- God
- Self
- Sarah
- Madison
- Friends
- Career
- Ministry
- Finances
These top priorities became my life plan accounts – areas of my life in which I want to achieve maximum equity.
Account Sections
Each account has five simple sections:
1. Purpose. The clear and concise end result I desire in this account. I answered the question, Why is this account important to me? Here’s an example of my career purpose:
My purpose is to be continually engaged in an occupation that best utilizes my gifts and calling to provide for my family needs and broaden my sphere of influence so I can lead as many future leaders as possible to connect more substantively with God and toward purposeful growth.
2. Supporting Verse. A scripture verse is optional, and it may not be important to you. It was important to me that my life is built on transcendent values that have stood the test of time – so I selected a scripture verse for each life plan account. Here’s my friends verse:
Proverbs 17:17 A friend is always loyal and a brother is born for to help in time of need.
3. Envisioned Future. Here I visualized, even dreamed about where I wanted to be 20 or 30 years from now in each account. My Envisioned Future for my daughter, Madison, is:
I want Madison to remember that I loved her “more than anything in the world”, that I understood her, and that I encouraged her to accomplish her dreams. I want her to remember our times together – our dates, riding bikes, taking walks together, talking about business ideas, working together, times I comforted her. And I want her to remember that I loved God and loved her mom.
4. Current Reality. This is where it got challenging – it wasn’t hard; it was just very revealing. I asked myself, Where am I in relation to my Envisioned Future? How could I improve this area? My Current Reality for my relationship with Madison is:
Madison and I are spending regular time together, although I need to spend more uninterrupted time with her each day. Occasionally when we are together my mind is distracted. We are doing a good job with her spending and savings plan. She knows I love her and her mom as is evidenced by the fact that she is seeking me out more to love on me and show affection to me.
5. Specific Commitments. I listed 1 to 3 actions that I committed to immediately in order to move from my Current Reality toward my Envisioned Future – to build equity in each account. I asked, What specific disciplines will I develop to see immediate improvement in this account – daily, weekly, monthly? The key here was limiting the specific commitments to 3 or fewer so that I could accomplish them effectively – you can always add more later. My specific commitments for my spouse account included:
- Spend time with Sarah at the end of every day communicating with her with no interruptions. (9:00-10:00pm)
- Go on a lunch date with her every Friday at noon. Leave our phones in the car.
- Take her on two weekend getaways each year – one before May 30 and the other before November 30. Unplug from technology.
The great adventure
Life doesn’t come with a road map – and there’s no universal list of pros and cons for your path in life. You must simply find what you were made to do and commit to it – no matter what.
A life plan helps you do that by regularly bringing you back to what’s most important. So, start the adventure today! And experience the power of living and growing on purpose.
I’m so committed to helping you succeed in your life and work that we developed the SIMPLE Personal Life Plan Guide and Template just for you! I want you to enjoy the freedom and clarity that comes from identifying your top priorities and I want you to avoid the struggles that I faced personally.
Once you download it and try it out, shoot me an email. You can even send me your draft to review for you. I’m looking forward to hearing about the dramatic improvements to your life and work.
[…] Your Life Matters […]