“All successful people men and women are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose.”
Most of the people don’t have plans for their future. They are drifting away in the currents of life without really taking the time to pound if there is a different curve that will take them to a better future for them and their families. In fact, according to Brian Tracy, which is in my opinion among the best personal development and career coaches today, “only about 3% of Americans make plans for their future, the other 97% are working for those who make plans and execute them on the daily basis”. Interesting fact according to the best research, less than 3% of Americans have written goals, and less than 1% review and rewrite their goals on a daily basis.
We are either too busy working on making the dreams of other people come true or trying to belittle ourselves by making excuses for why we do not have a plan yet. We all heard (Or know) how important it is to have a solid business plan for our business. But have you ever considered having a life plan for your future?
Here are 5 reasons of why you should start planning for your future.
A Direction In Life:
Have you ever considered where you are now and where you wish to be? In a year from now, 5 years from now? If you don’t know where you are headed then it is not important which route you will take. One of the most famous quotes in regard to the direction in life is from Alice in Wonderland. Alice is lost and asking for the Cheshire Cat for directions:
“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.”
“I don’t much care where –”
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Planning ahead helps you to keep your mind on the right track. Often you can feel overwhelmed with the flood of information, all those little buzzing and small distractions that are competing for your attention. Making plans and committing them will help you to avoid any distractions on the way to success and personal growth. Personal development only comes from pushing yourself an inch further every time and this is best done when you are setting up short-term and long-term goals.
The Illusion Of Control
There is an old Jewish joke that I like: “Do you want to make God laugh really hard? Well, just tell him about your plans”. Let’s face it, almost 99% of life you don’t have control of. You never know what can happen tomorrow or even in the next hour. However, making plans for your future gives some sense of control. Even that small fraction of the illusion of control can mean a lot when you plan your future. When planning you gain some control over your life’s direction. This is something that I find very comforting, especially in the hectic pace of life we are leaving in.
Focus
While writing goals and plans help us to keep our inner compass in the right direction, the focus will help us to stick to our commitment. There will be so many shiny objects on your road that will compete for your attention and don’t even get me started talking about the biggest distraction of them all, the FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). When you have plans and goals you will start doing prioritization and eventually keep the focus on the most important goals that you have. Think about it this way, you can buy the most advanced digital Camera and still your pictures will be blurring if you forget to set the focus on your photo – object.
The Power Of Visualization
Setting goals and plans give you the power to visualize vividly how you wish your life would be. Visualization will help you to put into play your strongest sense because it is much easier to follow a direction when you see it rather than going blindfolded. One of the techniques that I am using a lot when I am planning ahead and writing down my goals in the power of NLP and guided imagery. Those powerful techniques help me to build an imaginative figure of myself when I will achieve the goals. I ask myself questions about how would I feel when I will get there, what will I do when I will achieve them. What will happen then?
Committing Yourself
We all have one life to live on this earth, this is not a rehearsal for the “real thing”, there won’t be a second chance, so it is important that we will make the most of it. Let’s face it, we all want to become successful. We dream about a beautiful house, a respected place in the community, a vacation in the most exotic places and all the opportunities that money can grant. This desire is printed in our core DNA. However how many people really do something about it. We know what needs to be done, yet we are procrastinators, we like to check what is on TV/Social media than actually getting stuff done. Creating plans for yourself triggers your “I can do it muscle”, to start doing more for your life and committing to action.
“When you have plans and goals you will start doing prioritization and eventually keep the focus on the most important goals that you have”
In A Nutshell:
Having plans for yourself is never an easy thing to do. However, if you wish to get more out of life, you must know where you’re headed and what you really wish for self. Plans help us to create a direction in life, they trigger your inner self to start doing. Yes, we don’t have a control over most of the circumstances or the events in life, but we can create an illusion of control to help us achieve more in our goals in life and help to take one step at a time.
Alex Lyhovez.
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