“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” – Psalm 90:12 (ESV)

Some people drift through life, simply going with the flow and reacting to or accepting the various twists and turns along the way. Other people live in a very purposeful way, thinking through who they are and who they want to be. These people picture the life they want to live. They then set goals and take action steps to actually live the life to which they believe that they have been called. This process of defining the life that one desires to live and becoming the person for which you have been created, is called Life Planning. While we are not in charge of all that happens in our life, we are able, perhaps even responsible, for trying to find and live out the purpose for which we have been placed on this earth in this time and space.

The elements of Life Planning:

• Life Vision Statement – how do you want to be remembered?
• Life Purpose Statement – what is the purpose for which you live?
• Core Values – what values are most important to you?
• Wheel of Life – in the various areas of life, where are you and where do you want to be?
• Goals – what are some of the goals that move you to where you want to be and to how you want to be remembered? These will include long-term goals, mid-term goals, as well as short-term goals, such as annual, quarterly, and monthly goals. Which three to five goals are you going to work on right now?
• Action Plans – what are the actions that you will take to achieve these goals?

The above list is in a hierarchy of the way these elements might fit together and the order that we might review them periodically. It is most likely that you will develop your life plan in a different order. Often the development of a life plan turns out to be an iterative process in which we re-visit a previous step to revise or clarify. Life plans are also living documents, requiring periodic review, rethinking, and revising as life changes and we progress in our growth and development. The most effective way to develop your first life plan is to focus on these elements in this order:

1. Core Values
2. Life Purpose Statement
3. Wheel of Life
4. Life Vision Statement
5. Goals
6. Action Plans

This article is the first in a series of articles describing the Life Planning process. Click on any of the linked elements to learn more about the process. While individuals are welcome to complete this process on their own, partnering with a Life Coach is often more effective. Please contact us for more information.