Does personal planning make you anxious or excited?
As the year draws to a close, it’s a natural time to reflect on where we are and where we’re headed. Sometimes we all need to be reminded of the transformative power of personal planning—not just as a professional tool but as a personal compass as well.
Personal Planning Can Be Challenging
I recently completed a personal planning session with a group of about 30 senior leaders. It started with visualizing and then creating a dream list, including specific goals, they each could accomplish in the next 90 days to move the needle toward their desired future. Two observations I made of this group were: It was very challenging for many to come up with dream list items. And, at the end of the session there was a dramatic range of emotions when participants reflected on their experience. While some felt anxious, stuck, or stressed, others who were in the exact same session used words like inspired, energized, and excited to describe their emotions.
Personal Planning Can Exercise our “Dream” Muscle
One of the reasons why many people struggle with visualizing their future is they never take time to do it. Dreaming about what could be or thinking about our highest aspirations is not easy and it takes some time and focused concentration, two things that are hard to find in our fast paced, always connected world. Plus, thinking in this way is like a muscle that needs conditioning, it needs to be exercised to get stronger. And many people who have more “experience” feel like it’s not worthwhile to dream anymore, that it’s a young person’s game.
If we want to get better at achieving goals, we must exercise the “dream” function in our minds more regularly. We shouldn’t be afraid of the gap between where we are and our highest aspirations but approach it with constructive discontent that motivates us to continually move in that positive direction.
Recommended by LinkedIn
Personal Planning Helps Clarify Your Desired Future
As you approach year end, take time to find a place that’s inspiring to you, whether it be the beach, the mountains, your backyard on a sunny day, or your back porch during a winter snow. Take time to look back at what’s most satisfying about your life and then visualize what you want five or 10 years from now. Capture those ideas. When you can clarify a desired future and keep your eyes fixed on it, you’ll find the distractions and obstacles of the day to day are reduced, and you’ll be more satisfied with the path you take to get there.
Book recommendation: In case you want to revisit S.M.A.R.T. Goals or other goal setting ideas, you can grab a free digital copy of my book Becoming ADEPT - Applying Leadership Strategies for Lasting Change from the ADEPT website. It’s a great refresher for ADEPT strategies and tactics, and if you’re looking for goal setting specifics, jump to page 63 in Chapter Four.
– Paul
Improving how people get their jobs done and how they work together.
1moBill! My favorite knife wielding banker. Yes...Jane Applegate.
Paul, Remember: If you use what you have, you have what you need. Famous quote. Take care!