I wasn’t always a planner. I think for the first 20 years of my life, most of the important decisions had been made for me. That might be why I was so lost in my final year of university when people would ask me what my plans were after graduation. I figured I’d get a job. What exactly I’d be doing, I hadn’t given much thought to.
I think that because so much of my life was planned for such a long time, I actually dismissed planning as something that I should worry about. I figured as long as I was doing my duty, working a job and paying the bills, I’d be alright.
It didn’t take long for me to realize that flying by the seat of my pants was not something that I was okay with. I needed to be working towards something, not just working. I started off setting financial goals – pay off my student loans. After that was achieved, I decided that if I was going to get where I wanted to be professionally, then I had to go back to school and get my Masters degree, so I worked towards achieving that.
After getting my second degree, I thought I would be happy. I thought that I could just set my life on cruise control and everything would be great! I was wrong. It took chronic unhappiness with my career and my father passing away for me to realize that I needed to get back in the driver’s seat of my life.
When I have a goal, I work to make it happen. It’s when I delude myself into thinking that there’s no more left to do that I get restless and bored. Those feelings of being unfulfilled can be haunting. You know something is missing, but you’re not sure what. You look back at what you’ve achieved and tell yourself you should be grateful for where you’re at. The problem is, you want more.
That’s what I’ve come to realize, that the work is never done. It’s part of the journey. We get to make our dreams a reality if we choose to. We get to ask ourselves every day, what else is possible? We have the opportunity to test our limits and go beyond them.
It all starts with a plan though doesn’t it? We might not have all the steps figured out, and that’s okay! It’s about making a conscious effort to decide what we’re going to do on a daily basis that will bring us that fulfillment we’re looking for.
Without a plan, we don’t know where to start, or what we should be doing. Our plan drives our action. If we don’t take action, then just like the quote in the image says, our goals remain simple wishes. If you’re okay with that, then don’t worry about figuring out the plan!
If you do want to see if you can make your goals a reality, then you have to make the time to create the plan to make it happen. Remember, this is designed to guide you. As you take action, meet people and learn more, your plan will get adjusted and that’s okay. Stay focused on the goal and have faith that the right path for you to get there will reveal itself.
Plans take time and goals require effort. Don’t focus on how long it will take you to achieve your goals or the hard work that will be required of you. Focus on why you chose the goal in the first place. Remember that time is going to go by regardless of what you choose to do. Think about what else will be possible once that goal becomes a reality!
Are you ready to get planning? ♥