Creating a Life by Design: The Power of Strategic Planning

Have you ever talked to an avid fisherman? You may know someone who is a veteran gardener or a classic car enthusiast. When you have a conversation with a person who is serious about a hobby or activity, their passion can be contagious.

Talk to a successful fisherman, and you will learn in a hurry that they almost always specialize. They know everything about catching a specific type of fish or about fishing in saltwater as opposed to freshwater. They understand the finer parts of success, whether that means understanding everything about rods and reels, live baits and artificial lures, or boats and motors.

They may care little about maintaining their boat and motor. It can take a lot of work, and boat upkeep can also be expensive. Some say "boat" is an acronym for Break Out Another Thousand (dollars).

Taking care of their boat can be tedious, time-consuming, and expensive. But the smart fisherman endures all this because they know their boat is integral to their overall strategy: catching fish.

What Is Your Biggest Passion?

You might not care about fishing at all. But odds are, there is something that you would be doing right now if you could. What would you wish for if a magical genie gave you the proverbial three wishes and you could have and do anything?

Consider the question. It can reveal what's important to you, which brings us to the core of strategic living—understanding your values and desires.

You can't design your perfect life if you don't know what that life looks like. You start with your knee-jerk answer to the question we just asked. If you could have anything, what would you wish for? Instead of thinking short-term, think about every aspect of your life.

If you could create your best-ever life in every way, in every aspect of your life, what would it look and feel like?

The answer is going to be based on your desires. Your desires help form your values. When you want something strong enough, you will embrace the values needed to fuel your pursuit of that experience.

Now It's Time to Make a Choice

You can keep that dream in your mind and make infrequent attempts to turn it into reality. Create a vague plan and go after it. Or you can give yourself the best chance at living a fantastic life.

That's what happens when you take the time to design every step of your life. You create a strategy for the different stages of your life, chase your goals according to your values, and make changes when necessary.

This is strategic living. You cannot assume the traditional life path you've been given will work well. It requires a lifelong commitment, but it gives you the power to design your life rather than letting life dictate your experience.

Take some time to think about your values. Are you the person you want to be? What would that life look like if you could start all over and create a perfect life with no mistakes? What can you do today to make tomorrow, next year, and several years from now fulfilling? Ask yourself these tough questions.

Get to know your fundamental values and the life you want for yourself, not those that society constantly throws in your face. Then, develop a detailed plan. Create a life strategy that considers everything relevant and embraces your values and desires. They say the devil is in the details, and a detailed design for living every day of your life can produce heavenly results.