How to Create a Vision and Plan

How to Gain Clarity on Your Dream Life: A Step-by-Step Guide Do you have an idea of how you want your life to be? Or are you like I was and knew I wasn’t happy with where I was, but had no ideas on what would make me feel more fulfilled? If you are in the latter category, I wanted to share the steps that worked for me. 1. Reflect on Your Passions: Start by listing what you truly love doing. Think about activities that make you lose track of time, or topics you can talk about endlessly. Your passions are clues to your dream life. 2. Identify Your Values: What’s most important to you? Integrity, family, creativity, financial independence? Understanding your values helps align your dream life with your true self. 3. Visualize Your Ideal Day: Imagine a day in your dream life, from morning till night. Where are you? Who are you with? What are you doing? The more details, the better. 4. Set Specific Goals: Break down your dream into achievable goals. Want to travel the world? Start by researching your first destination. Hoping to switch careers? Outline the steps to get there. 5. Create a Vision Board: Visual aids can be powerful. Collect images and quotes that represent your dream life and arrange them on a board. Place it where you’ll see it every day. 6. Develop a Plan: Dreams become attainable when you have a plan. Outline what needs to happen to achieve each goal. To avoid overwhelm, just identify what your next step is, not the entire journey. 7. Take Action: Start small, but start now. Even tiny steps move you closer to your dream life. 8. Stay Flexible: Dreams evolve, and that’s okay. Be open to adjusting your goals as you grow and learn more about yourself. 9. Celebrate Progress: Acknowledge every step forward. Celebrating small wins keeps you motivated. 10. Seek Inspiration and Support: Surround yourself with people who inspire you. Don’t hesitate to ask for help or guidance. Remember, gaining clarity on your dream life is a journey. Be patient with yourself and enjoy the process. I’d love to hear about your dreams and steps you’re taking to achieve them. Let’s inspire each other!

You are probably familiar with Amazon's "Start with the press release" or working backwards method for product releases (link in comments below). This week I had the idea to do that with my career development. Almost certainly, I am not the first to think of this, but thought I would share my version. 1) Start with the announcement - write the announcement of your next role no matter how far out that is. Include the unique strengths, skills, and experiences you are bringing to the position. 2) Create your future resume - write the resume/CV that got you the next role. What is in that future version that you don't have on your resume today? 3) Use the announcement and resume as guiding principles to get clear on any gaps and to make informed decisions on where to invest your time next 4) Start collecting the experiences you need with intention 5) Continually reflect and adjust as needed, career development is never a straight line and you don't know what you don't know yet. I am a fan of prioritizing growth and development even (especially?) when you are enjoying where you are today. Today is always the best day to do anything, so am off to write my future resume. 😃

Read this if you're trying to figure out what to do next (I'm in the same boat and I think we should figure it out together) I've had a ton of phases in my career. Everything from working in a factory making folders and folder accessories to a startup executive. I've moved countries 2x. And I've outgrown the jobs I thought I would love forever. Which is to say I can't count the times I've been here, asking myself: WTF should I do next? Over the years I've also helped a lot of people at this precise juncture. When they're looking for answers through personality tests, career consultants, and friend and family opinions. Which is to say: they're looking in all the wrong places. Career clarity doesn't come from the outside. It comes from listening to your inner knowing and then executing on strategy. The tricky part is getting to that inner knowing. Here is the process that have never failed me or my clients: ✨ Define a mission: what's your overarching goal or impact you want to create ✨ Get Your Priorities straight: what matters to you most? Stack rank those priorities. ✨ Tap into your UAQ: this is what sets you apart, uniquely qualifies you, and aligns with your highest potential ✨ Design multiple paths: create 3-5 pathways you could walk down ✨ Prototype them: Interview people in those career paths, volunteer, or drop a test product. Yesterday I did some work to get clearer on my mission. For me, this involved free writing following my go-to prompts, letting whatever came out come out, and giving myself permission to do something different and something big. What about the rest? I'm getting there, and I'll be sharing it along the way. PS: I'll drop my mission into the comments in case you're curious to know what it is. PPS: This clarity exercise will work for you if you're in the corporate game, startup world, or creating your own business! #CareerBestie

What advice do you have for someone focusing on career progression? ✏️ I worked with someone who had a five-year plan, and she was able to make her career decisions by whether or not they aligned with the plan. I was amazed, having never had a one-year, much less five-year plan for my own career. Having grown my own career "organically" rather than to a plan, and having worked with many who have a plan, I can attest to the value of having a plan, if you are focusing on career progression. But remember - it's okay to not focus on career progression. When making a career plan, it's important to break it down into big picture, long term objectives, which then get refined to specific "SMART"* goals for short term, measurable steps aligned with the objectives. Think about it like this: 1️⃣ What's my 5-year vision? High level, where do I want to be? 2️⃣ What's a key growth metric I'd like to "level up" in this year? 3️⃣ What am I doing this quarter (SMART goals)? 4️⃣ What are the activities I'm working on (daily/weekly) to meet the goals? 5️⃣ How am I making sure I have time for everything on a daily basis? By going from big picture to small details it helps not overwhelm yourself with everything you must do to meet your long-term goals. It also means your plan stays adaptable. You can't predict the future, so having detailed tasks assigned years out means you probably have to revise your plan frequently as life deals out its surprises. This model works for any sort of long-term growth but can be particularly relevant to career progression. When you know where you want to end up, and learn what is needed to be there, you can set the short term, SMART goals along the way to get there. While I haven't had a 5-year plan, I have used this approach for 1-year and 90-day planning. I've attached a single page template I use for my own planning - it goes from the year (top line vision) down to the day at the bottom - with space in the middle for a 90-day outlook and important things to track. Message me if you'd like a copy of the PDF. I'd love to hear your thoughts on achieving goals and personal vision statements, or other techniques you've used when focusing on career growth. What worked for you? What could be improved in what I suggest? Let's talk below! 👇 * Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound

Have you ever driven without a destination in mind? No map, no GPS, just endless roads? That's what life can feel like without a vision for your future. For many years, that was me. I had a vague "idea" of where I wanted to go, but it was a blurry concept at best. I found myself stuck in the "comparison game," constantly measuring my progress against others. It led to frustration and disappointment. But then, something changed. I took the time to craft a crystal-clear vision for my future. It became my North Star, guiding my every move. No more bouncing around like a pinball, reacting to life's twists and turns. Instead, I embraced my unique journey. I stopped comparing myself to others and started competing with the only person that truly matters: the person I was yesterday. 🌟 Every day, I strive to be just 1% better. It may sound small, but it's a powerful mindset. If I can sustain that growth over time, imagine the transformation possible! Here are three tips for crafting your own vision: 🎯 Clarify Your Why: Start by digging deep into why you want to pursue your dreams. Your "why" is the rock-solid foundation of your vision. 🎯 Align with Your Values: Ensure your vision aligns seamlessly with your core values. This alignment fuels authenticity and passion. 🎯 Adaptability is Key: While your vision should be your guiding star, remember it's okay to adapt. Let it evolve as your dreams evolve. Your vision isn't just a static statement; it's a dynamic force that grows with your dreams. Agree? #EntrepreneurialVision #SmallBusinessSuccess #FerrariHighPerformance 🏎 This pic shows just a few of the many fantastic leaders I had the privilege to serve with. 💯 🔥 Couldn't resist photobombing them. 😆