Life Plan 101
Throughout our life we plan. We plan for Christmas, our birthday, the weekend. Now is a good time to take our learning from planning those events to creating a life plan. Life plans can be as simple or as complex as needed.
There are many types of plans in use, and this one may not be the best plan for you. This plan has a lot going for it though. It easy to follow. It is simple to use, simple to add on to, and simple to take away from as your needs and wants change. You are not locked into using something formal that needs special paper, or page layouts. The main points of this plan are carried in your head, so it is always available to review, use, and revise in the moment.
I think of this as a Plan Of Three. I like the number three because three is a small number and easy to remember and recall. I enjoy the way the number three is integrated into almost all aspects of life. I will leave it up to you to identify the influence and use of the number three in your own life. In this life plan think of each number, i.e., one, two, and three as life markers or placeholders, and not concrete stopping points in your life.
At its simplest, the Plan Of Three comprises three place holders of future life times. The first marker is closest to the present time. The second marker is a medium stage out there somewhere in the future. The third and final marker in the Plan Of Three is as far out as you can visualize your life.
The first marker in the Plan Of Three is your near future. It may be next month, three months, or six months from now. It is a place holder for those everything that will happen soon, or you want to happen soon. The time placement of the first marker is up to you. The amount of time you perceive as your near future is your first place marker in your Plan Of Three.
The second marker in the Plan Of Three is an intermediate place holder for your intermediate future for the completion of your longer term goals. For some the middle marker is three to five years away, for others it may three to five months away. Where your middle point is for you depends on how far you think you can reasonably form a plan for your future.
The third and final point is your far off future. Think of this point as a lighthouse or beacon for your life. It is your conscience, and your direction. It is where you want your life when you are far into your future. This marker guides you and gives your life direction. Every decision and direction you go in your life should be aligned with your third marker. This third marker in the Plan Of Three is a time and place you will never get to. Your life will finish before you ever reach this point. It is a culmination of everything you have done with your life.
Taking a piece of paper or opening a notepad and start now. Here is a simple example:
1. Finish this semester of school or college. Complete something to make myself more valuable to my employer. Finish my plans of improving my business. Lose ten pounds.
2. Start thinking about where I want to work when I graduate. Find creative ways to improve my work life, or my business. Do I want to marry or stay single. Start planning for my life out of school or college.
3. Make decisions that I can look back on with pride. Take on projects or volunteer work that is of value to others. Follow my beliefs. Be honest and true to those within my sphere of influence. Make plans for my retirement. Decide where I want to live the last years of my life.
In each of the steps of the Plan Of Three there are options for sub steps. How many you should have is up to you, but generally three sub items is a good choice, and usually not more than five under each marker of your plan. More sub items becomes to much to manage, and you end up managing your life plan rather than your life.
