I recently met with a client who wanted to set and map out some long term goals. I showed him a tool I have used in the past which is pretty easy to design for yourself. Others have found it very useful, so I thought I would share. You might find it useful with New Years and resolutions right around the corner.
Use a simple table like the one below and set aside some time to really focus and contemplate the different elements in your life (You can choose what these are, or just choose one if you like, I've just offered suggestions).
Start by filling in your current state (yellow) under each element. How are you living your life currently in this particular element? Be really honest with yourself. For example, under Spiritual you might write: Good prayer life, peaceful and content; or… occasional meditation, good spiritual network, or perhaps…searching for spiritual connection or new church, is more the flavor. Fill in each column with your current situation and take as much space as you need.
Next, address each element and where you would like to be (green). Don’t judge how you would get there or whether you think it is possible. Just fill in the desired state that you would like to have in your life.
Lastly, fill in what the worst case scenario (beige) would be for each of those elements. Again, no judgment---just how bad do you think it could possibly be? For example, for me, under Worst Case State in Relationships it would read something like, “Divorced or separated from my husband, estranged from my children or other family members”. That would be the worst case scenario for me.
Now that you have your desired state and worst case set before you, look at each element and map out the steps that would lead from your current state to the desired state. What kinds of things would you need to do or believe, in order to get you to the desired state? Make a list. They may not be sequential or directly related, but you will have some ideas of what to do in order to move in that direction. For example, back to the Spiritual piece, if you were in need of a church or spiritual network you may write things such as, visit a new church every week, research area denominations, ask coworkers for recommendations, research bible study groups or meditation/prayer groups, etc.
Do the same for steps that would take you from your current state to your worst case. This is not meant to be a depressing exercise, but to simply define the steps that would take you in the wrong direction. For example, back to my Relationship example, I might write that constant belittling of my husband, picking fights, being uncommunicative, unforgiving, unloving, etc. might lead me to my worst case scenario.
Once you’ve done this for all the elements, you can see where you want to direct most of your focus and attention. Where are the biggest gaps? What elements can you achieve easily? Which ones do you want to do first? Maybe pick one element and work on several of the steps you’ve identified, before moving onto another. It’s your choice, but now you have the plan before you and you’ll be reminded when you happen to choose one of the steps that takes you in the wrong direction toward the worst case scenario! Jump back up into the area of the plan towards what you desire. Hope this is helpful.
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