It's That Time of Year!
And I don’t mean holiday time, although I love the holidays myself. I mean we have 2 months left until the new year. Do you have a plan for 2024? A personal plan for YOU. If you haven’t ever done a personal plan, I encourage you to give it a try. I outline my process below, it’s not quick or easy but it’s worth the time and effort.
The Setup: I like to block time out on my calendar, I use 60 min chunks, every 1-2 weeks between now and the end of the year. Before I had an effective home setup, I would go for walk or to a coffee shop. You pick an environment that works for you, you want something creative, positive, and upbeat.
Step #1: What do you Care about? I mean CARE about. These are big life cares. They influence your decision making, your thoughts, your dreams. I recommend 2-3 iterations of this exercise. If this is your first time, take a blank sheet of paper and start writing down what comes to mind. Then pause and reflect. Then prioritize. Rinse and Repeat. You’re looking for 4-6 big cares. If you’ve done this before, look at your list, does it still make sense? Here’s my list:
My faith God and Jesus Christ
My husband Greg
My overall health
Energy balance/happiness
Continuous learning with others
Step #2: Now that we have our list, it’s time to dream. What are our dreams for each these cares? Where do we want to be in 10 years with each of these cares? Don’t worry about where you are now, just allow yourself the space to dream. This can be hard and may take a few sessions (this is why we start in November!) I’ll share my dreams as an example. These are dreams, I haven’t achieved any of these yet!
My faith – My salvation is secure; people recognize a hope and joy in my life that is different and my interactions with others are as Christlike as possible given I’m a finite imperfect human.
Greg – We are growing together (vs apart), deepening our relationship and we have aligned dreams, goals, and plans for our relationship.
Overall health – I want to age gracefully with emotional, mental, and physical health. I have full mobility and can do the activities I want to do with no limitations. I have a healthy relationship with food and drink. I don’t obsess about the scale.
Energy balance/happiness – I am in control of my overall capacity. My calendar reflects my Cares, and I am fulfilled professionally and have daily reflection and movement.
Learning with others – I am in communities where I am respected and valued, and I am continuing to learn intellectually and experientially with others.
Step #3: Close your eyes and imagine it’s 12/31/2024, what is coming up for each of your big Cares? Maybe you shoot for the moon, maybe you take a small step. Either is ok. This your personal plan, it’s not anyone else’s plan, it’s yours. For example (don’t hold me to these because I haven’t gotten this far this year yet!)
Greg – We’ve taken at least one vacation just the two of us and it’s easy to come up with our top 5 moments together over the year. Reviewing the year together makes us smile.
Health – My cholesterol numbers are down and in control. I’ve continued my strength training routine throughout the year.
Step #4: Now we look at the first step we are going to take. Here’s a sample from my working list:
Greg – I find a dog sitter who understands Jake’s needs and is eager to stay with him (this is the main roadblock to us taking a much needed vacation).
Health – Book the following week’s strength workouts with Adam by Sunday eve.
Your personal plan is ready! Where you go from here is up to you. How will you hold yourself accountable? I do a 30/90-day review. Meaning I set “next step” and 90-day goals and then review them once a month. This allows me to course correct if I’ve gotten off-track without losing an entire quarter. It’s ok to stumble. We’re not perfect. We get back up and try again. We adjust as needed. We seek accountability partners. Doing this exercise sets you up for an amazing year and you’ll likely be further along the journey toward your dreams in a year from now than without a plan. Block some time, get started. I would love to hear your plans if you are comfortable sharing! If you are looking for more help in this area, Starr Leadership Group can help you, reach out and let’s chat!