Let’s face it, we all want to be successful. But success is more than economic gains, titles, and degrees. Planning for success is about mapping out all the aspects of your life. Similar to a map, you need to define the following details: origin, destination, vehicle, backpack, Landmarks, and route. I know it sounds silly, but if you look at life from this perspective, you will be surprised at how successful your life can really be.

Origin: Who you are

A map has a starting point. Your origin is who you are right now. To gain insight about yourself, you need to look closely at your beliefs, values, and principles aside from your economic, professional, cultural, and civil status. You should also reflect on your experiences to give you insight on your good and not-so-good traits, skills, knowledge, strengths, and weaknesses.

Destination: A vision of who you want to be

“Who do YOU want to be?” this is your Vision. Now it is important that you know yourself so that you would have a clearer idea of who you want to be; and the things you want to change whether they are attitudes, habits, or points of view. If you hardly know yourself, then your vision and targets for the future would also be unclear. Your destination should cover all the aspects of your being: the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual.

Vehicle: Your Mission

A vehicle is the means by which you can reach your destination. It can be compared to your mission or vocation in life. To a great extent, your mission would depend on what you know about yourself.

Travel Bag: Your knowledge, skills, and attitude

Food, drinks, medicines, and other travelling necessities are contained in a bag. Applying this concept to your Life Map, you also bring with you certain knowledge, skills, and attitudes. These determine your competence and help you in attaining your vision. This being said, there is a need for you to assess what knowledge, skills, and attitudes you have at this present moment and what you need to gain along the way. This two-fold assessment will give you insight on your landmarks or measures of success.

Landmarks and Route: S.M.A.R.T. objectives

Landmarks confirm if you are on the right track while the route determines the travel time. In planning out your life, you also need to have landmarks and a route. These landmarks are your measures of success. These measures must be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound. For instance, you cannot set two major landmarks such as earning a master’s degree and a doctorate degree within a period of three years, since the minimum number of years to complete a master’s degree is two years. Make sure that your goals are attainable and realistic. And even if you don’t hit your goal, stay encouraged. The fact that you are determined to obtain your goal is a success in and of itself!!

Turns, Detours, and Potholes

The purpose of your life map is to minimize hasty and spur-of-the-moment decisions that can make you lose your way. But oftentimes our plans are modified along the way due to some inconveniences, delays, and other situations beyond our control. Like in any path, there are turns, detours, and potholes; in those instances, you must anticipate them and adjust accordingly.

Whatever your Life Map is, and wherever it leads you, make sure you continue to have and maintain a positive attitude. It’s not always going to be easy, because life isn’t, but when those not-so-easy-days come, simply WOOSAH!! Count to 10, and WOOSAH again…you feel so much better!!

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