Hey there! If we were chatting in real life I’d say:
What does it mean to Have A Plan?
I’m not talking plans for next weekend. Today I’m talking about plans for life. My life. The life of my family. And if my friends and neighbors would let me I’d plan out their lives too. I kid – kind of. 🙂
I started working at a doughnut shop when I was 14 years old. I had big plans. I’d decided two years earlier at the prime age of 12 (yes, really) that I wanted to be an accountant. Nerdy, I know. But I had great aspirations and goals for my life.
After high-school I attended a local university. The summer before I got a job on campus so I could receive half tuition, and of course earn money to pay for said university. I worked full-time through my entire undergraduate program. Most semesters I took a full class load. Not something I’d recommend, to be honest. But I wanted to earn my degree as soon as I could and I didn’t want any student debt. My other main goal was to save up to buy a car.
For two very long years I shared a ’78 Ford Bronco with my older sister. Hell hath no fury like that woman when I told her she couldn’t take the car on my nights! Goodness, it was brutal. I wish I had recorded our epic sister fights as proof all these years later!
I rode the bus to work early in the morning and then either walked to classes or took the campus shuttle. To save even more money I also took my lunch each day and some times my dinner. Back then it didn’t seem too bad. I was focused on how much I needed to save for a car. I can still remember the excitement 13 months later when I was able to sign the title for my red, 2-door, 1992 GMC Jimmy, without a loan and without a parent co-owner. It was amazing!!
I drove MY car to class that night. The freedom never felt so great. Two hours later my brother convinced me to let him drive it around our neighborhood. He was 12. Can you guess where this is going? On the way home he hopped a curb and took out a street light in the church parking lot, leaving a nice dent in my front hood. The best part?! We were listening to Dave Matthew’s Band Crash on the radio. No joke. That’s still one of my favorite songs. You can enjoy the video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7in-9E3ImQ
Somewhere in the last ten years I’ve lost my ability, or maybe desire, to plan. I stopped envisioning life. I stopped thriving and have been stuck in this surviving mindset. I understand part of the why behind that, and those details will come later. Going forward though I want to get back to the woman that had strong, attainable goals. I need a renewed vision. One that includes plans for the next 6 months, this next year, 3 years and maybe even 10 years. Which leads me to my next question.
Do you remember doing a vision board in elementary school? You’d gather up piles of magazines and newspapers. Then you’d spend hours cutting out the cool vacations you wanted to go on during summer break or the latest gadget you thought you deserved for your birthday. Maybe your picture included a nice house or a cool car you envisioned for your future. Well, my friends, a Vision Board is exactly where I’m going to start. Unfortunately, or maybe not, I don’t subscribe to magazines or newspapers in print. But I did come across a great new, more modern version.
A friend that I would deem to be successful, not because she has riches galore, but because they live the life they want, recently shared this powerful tool. Passion Planner is just as it sounds, and there are FREE downloads.
https://passionplanner.com/roadmap/
I went through the steps a few weeks ago and it was refreshing. I’m going to tweak mine again and then will post a picture. I’d love to hear what you think, what some of your goals are for the immediate future and your plans for longer term.
Until next time friends! ~HBW
