It’s the end of the year. There’s a TON of resources, how to’s, guides, amazing, world changing workshops to help you PLAN your 2014.
It’s time to plan plan plan. Strategize, goal set, revolutionize, intention set, visualize and later, actualize.
I’ve got some thoughts on this.
You can over plan.
Yes, you can. You can plan and visualize and intention set yourself right into overwhelm. Or, (and?) you can actually spend SO MUCH time planning, you don’t DO anything, and then time passes and you don’t have much to show for it. And that sucks.
If you’re going to take the time to plan, you should make the time to FOLLOW THROUGH. That’s the secret sauce, not the planning, but the plan oriented action around it that makes your dreams take flight and become reality.
Planning is important
And you should think about the big picture, what do you WANT, and in the words of Danielle LaPorte, how do you want to FEEL? Understanding those things can make ALL of the other goal setting flow together and feel like it’s of service of your big dream, instead of what you think you “should” be doing.
I like to create a mountain range in my planner – what’s the BIG PEAK I want to summit? What are the little mountains that I climb on the way to the top? Where are the plateaus that I hang out on for a while, catching my breath on the way to the next one? (Yes, I plan for breaks too. It’s amazing, freeing, and lets my passion and creativity stay fresh) And what are the peaks I hike down on the other side of the summit. Laying it out like that helps keep me grounded to the big picture and vision without over committing to the details.
You can’t know the future
Over planning is often a symptom of wanting to know the future, wanting to know how every little thing is going to work out. This is a total trap. The most helpful metric I use for making decisions is, Is this a doorway I want to walk through now? Will there be interesting doors I want to walk through down this hallway? (I assume the doorway leads to a hallway, it works for my metaphor and thinking strategy)
When I went to coaching school, I didn’t enroll because I wanted to be an online business coach, and work from home, and help creative business owners triple their monthly income. I enrolled because I wanted the opportunities that it would make accessible to me. To work for myself, to travel more, to change lives. I could see myself being a consultant, and in-house coach, a business owner. I didn’t have a clue where it would take me, but I knew there were so many doors down that hallway that I wanted access to, that seemed exciting for me to have the opportunity to walk through later. So I enrolled. And as things have evolved, I’ve decided which doors to go through, and how I want to utilize my education.
If I had waited until I had a super clear picture, I would still be waiting. Sometimes you have to ask yourself, what doors to you want to make available to yourself? What doorway to do you want to, or need to, walk through now, to make those a possibility for you.
What door do you need to walk through?
So right now, in the sunset of 2013, what door do you need to walk through? What opportunities do you want to give yourself access to in the future? What’s the NOW thing that needs to happen to create more space, freedom, possibility and money in your future?
And, as you plan, complete amazing workshops, and walk through doors of opportunity to your future, please commit to following through, and not letting late December be the only time you consider where things are going for you.
And if you do one workshop that will let you plan, but not OVER plan, hit up mine. Because they are amazing, life changing, business building, creative experiences, that enable you to see your year and future in new, brilliant light. And I want that for you. Badly.
Stuck on your services? I can help. I’m Ellen, Money Making Expert. I help creative business owners make more money and revolutionize their businesses.
It’s my mission to help you triple your monthly income and start really creating the opportunities you want for yourself. Ready to find out what’s possible when we work together? Book your power sesh here. 20 minutes, you and me, totally free.
“Go for it! In fact, if you have ANY doubt that you might not be going in the right direction in your business, all you need is one session with Ellen. She’s not only extremely business-savvy and able to come up with innovative, creative and totally ON FIRE ideas quick-as-all-hell, her razor-sharp wit and relaxed demeanor made the whole session feel like I was talking to a (super–smart) BFF.” – Erica
