Charting your course in life is very much like making a journey in a sailboat. Here are some steps for making the trip smooth and fulfilling.

PREPARE TO SET SAIL:
The ocean of life is full of opinions and options. In this age of information overload, it becomes increasingly difficult and time consuming to choose a direction to head in. It leaves many drained and confused. How do you make your way?

1. First, determine that YOU are the Captain. No one else is allowed to steer your ship. Allow no one to make final decisions for you. You are the one who is ultimately responsible for YOUR happiness and has to live with the choices made.
2. Do a thorough check of your ship’s hull to be sure it is in order. It’s design affects the stresses your ship will be able to endure and the cargo you can carry. This foundation is your beliefs and values defined by your world view. Each person’s understanding of how the world works is shaped by a combination of personal experiences, observations, and the teaching they have received throughout their lives. Your world view includes your assumptions about life, love, marriage, children, career, and health, etc.
3. Once you know the overall structure of your ship, you can focus on its rudder and sails. Your ship will be steered through the experiences set by your life goals. Life goals define the ultimate destination you desire. They describe the kind of person you hope you will grow to be and the experiences you will have.  The basic structure of the vessel is likely to remain constant. In contrast, the rudder and sails will adjust in response to storms and fluctuating currents. Similarly, life goals will need to change as your development reveals your strengths, talents, and interests and as you gain new experiences or new information.
4. You must also consider the passenger list. How many passengers do you have? Who are they? Are they children, family, friends, acquaintences? What makes each one unique? Do they add value to your journey or do they just take up space on your ship?
5. The next step is choosing your crew and cargo. Who is on the crew to assist you with the journey? You will need to choose members that possess strengths and knowledge you do not. The crew is also there to take care of duties that you do not have time to do as the captain. For example, an accountant to do your taxes, a coach to guide you, a housekeeper to clean your home, a babysitter to watch your children, a fitness trainer to help keep you in shape. The cargo your ship will carry is the resources you have available. These include money, assets, your home, the environment you live in and the people around you.
6. Your final step before setting sail is charting the actual course. Long- and short-term goals will help define your course. Long-term goals are like a compass that provides overall direction and purpose for your journey. Short-term goals are the “ports of call” along the way and help measure your progress towards your desired destination. These goals should be reflected in your daily, weekly, and monthly tasks and activities. They will be affected by the strengths and weaknesses of your crew, passengers, time constraints, travel schedules, illness, etc.

SET SAIL:
When you have identified your beliefs, values and world view, considered the uniqueness of your passengers, crew and cargo, determined your goals, selected a destination, and gathered resources, you are ready to confidently set sail to a life you love!

As your voyage unfolds, you will have the ability to adjust the rudder and sails to make course corrections.

Many course corrections will be needed throughout your journey as the winds and currents shift. Periodic review of your short- and long-term goals will be necessary to keep up with these changes. New information, new resources, and even new living conditions will impact your decisions. In the sailing world, if a ship gets off course even one or two degrees and does not correct it will veer out at an entirely different angle on the compass. Over time, it will end up very far from the destination intended. Conversely, to get back on course it may only takes a few minor shifts in degrees to correct. In a panic, people will “overcorrect” when they notice they aren’t going in the direction they desire. They turn the ship’s wheel too sharply and end up capsizing their ship.

As the Captain, be confident are are prepared and well equipped to weather any storm in life. Remember to enjoy the journey and the “ports of call” since you never really know when you will reach your destination.

Tags: goals and habits, life plan

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 at 12:38 am and is filed under Life Balance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.