How to Plan Your Life
Determine what is meaningful to you., Construct a guiding vision statement., Take it slow., Be prepared to create your own opportunities.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Determine what is meaningful to you.
Planning out your life can be an overwhelming task, and there are many different areas in your life to consider when planning.
In order to get a better idea of what you’d like the future to look like, it is helpful to spend some time exploring what is fulfilling and meaningful to you.
Some questions to start you thinking about in which direction you want your life to go include:
What does success look like to you? Is it a certain job title or amount of money? Is it being creative? Is it having a family? What would your life look like if you had the power to change it right now? Where would you live? What would your career be? How would you spend your time? Who would you spend you time with? Whose life do you admire? What about the course of their life makes it appealing to you? -
Step 2: Construct a guiding vision statement.
Once you have explored what is meaningful to you through questioning and self-reflection, write down the answers you came up with in a sentence you can use as a guiding vision statement.
Write it in the present tense, as if you’ve already accomplished it.An example of a vision statement may be:
My life is successful because I am my own boss; I feel free everyday; I get to use my creativity; and I spend my time with my family.
Because planning a life in a rapidly changing world can be difficult, you can use this sentence as a guiding principle as you try to map out your life keeping in mind that the specific job, place, or goal can fluctuate as long as your guiding vision, or what is most important to you, is being fulfilled., Your plan may not go in a straight line.
Very rarely does something happen exactly as someone plans or expects.
Life is full of curves, twist, and new opportunities.
Life is also full of failures, but that doesn’t mean you should give up.
Be prepared to take action in baby steps.
Learn from those actions and experiences as you move closer to your goal.You may run into dead ends in your life.
You may end up with a job you think will put you in a better place, but it leads nowhere.
You may get sidetracked by relationships and family.
Just remember there is no timetable.
Keep making small progress towards your goals and learn from every dead end and new development in your life. , There may not be the perfect job, place, or opportunity already out there.
If this is the case, you’ll need to create that opportunity for yourself, even if doing so wasn’t apart of your original plan.
Understanding as you plan your life that you may have to make your goals happen can help mentally prepare you for any changes down the road.For example, if in the vision statement you want to be your own boss, this might mean teaching at a dance studio or being a consultant at a large firm.
Both of these satisfy the deepest need of feeling free because you are your own boss. -
Step 3: Take it slow.
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Step 4: Be prepared to create your own opportunities.
Detailed Guide
Planning out your life can be an overwhelming task, and there are many different areas in your life to consider when planning.
In order to get a better idea of what you’d like the future to look like, it is helpful to spend some time exploring what is fulfilling and meaningful to you.
Some questions to start you thinking about in which direction you want your life to go include:
What does success look like to you? Is it a certain job title or amount of money? Is it being creative? Is it having a family? What would your life look like if you had the power to change it right now? Where would you live? What would your career be? How would you spend your time? Who would you spend you time with? Whose life do you admire? What about the course of their life makes it appealing to you?
Once you have explored what is meaningful to you through questioning and self-reflection, write down the answers you came up with in a sentence you can use as a guiding vision statement.
Write it in the present tense, as if you’ve already accomplished it.An example of a vision statement may be:
My life is successful because I am my own boss; I feel free everyday; I get to use my creativity; and I spend my time with my family.
Because planning a life in a rapidly changing world can be difficult, you can use this sentence as a guiding principle as you try to map out your life keeping in mind that the specific job, place, or goal can fluctuate as long as your guiding vision, or what is most important to you, is being fulfilled., Your plan may not go in a straight line.
Very rarely does something happen exactly as someone plans or expects.
Life is full of curves, twist, and new opportunities.
Life is also full of failures, but that doesn’t mean you should give up.
Be prepared to take action in baby steps.
Learn from those actions and experiences as you move closer to your goal.You may run into dead ends in your life.
You may end up with a job you think will put you in a better place, but it leads nowhere.
You may get sidetracked by relationships and family.
Just remember there is no timetable.
Keep making small progress towards your goals and learn from every dead end and new development in your life. , There may not be the perfect job, place, or opportunity already out there.
If this is the case, you’ll need to create that opportunity for yourself, even if doing so wasn’t apart of your original plan.
Understanding as you plan your life that you may have to make your goals happen can help mentally prepare you for any changes down the road.For example, if in the vision statement you want to be your own boss, this might mean teaching at a dance studio or being a consultant at a large firm.
Both of these satisfy the deepest need of feeling free because you are your own boss.
About the Author
Denise Mitchell
Denise Mitchell has dedicated 3 years to mastering education and learning. As a content creator, Denise focuses on providing actionable tips and step-by-step guides.
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