Strategic Steps Towards Preparing A Life Plan

Strategic steps creation is a deliberate act that can help you achieve an effective life plan. Every created thing resulted from a well thought out purpose so nothing we see on earth is by coincidence or accident. Everything was made to fit into a defined sphere where it renders a defined service and if this service is not known, life becomes a mere trial and error affair. Also, if this service is discovered without an appropriate plan to implement it, life on earth becomes a frustrating ordeal. That’s why we need to know this service (purpose) and also the strategy (plan) to fulfill it in our lifetime (life plan). When therefore strategic steps and deliberate crafted towards achieved a life plan, success is guaranteed.

You were crafted to bring solutions to challenges that confront humanity to the glory of God. Every human being is a product of a process that is designed to meet certain needs of humanity. Just like the fish is useful in water, a bird in the air, and a monkey on trees, that is how you were crafted to be useful in your domain. This domain is called PURPOSE which can only be discovered through some strategic steps.

Have you seen a chair before? What is the best use of a chair too? Sitting, right?  But sadly, I have seen a chair being used as a table to keep things or as a ladder to climb things. In as much as the chair may succeed in doing other things apart from sitting, its purpose is being thwarted and utility  (satisfaction) is being diminished and that’s the same case with some human beings who don’t know or understand their purpose.

Every life plan is anchored on a discovered purpose (assignment, target) which must be clearly defined. So permit me to say that this life plan talk will be centered on how to turn your purpose into a forever job.

Let me define purpose in different ways

Purpose here has to do with;

1. The intended end
2. Original intent of the manufacturer
3. Prearranged utility derived from someone
4. Impact intended to make
5. Reason for creation
6. Intersection point of divinity with humanity

So of what use is knowing your purpose?

Benefits of purpose

1. Clarifies life’s goal/personal assignment
2. Eliminates  wastages by  helping to allocate resources appropriately
3. Helps streamline investment of resources
4. Helps choose associations correctly
5. Helps to measure PROGRESS according to a defined end
6. Helps in creating personal leadership space
7. Helps to give life a true meaning

Strategic steps to discovering your purpose

Now we proceed to the issue of finding purpose. As of 2016, there were over 120,000 online books dealing on the subject of how to find purpose yet many people go through life barely knowing why they are here or what they are supposed to do. 

Well here today, I am going to be sharing with you my time tested format for finding purpose (discovering self) which is actually a distillation of my field experience in training over 20,000 persons in classroom situations and several thousands of others via media platforms (social and traditional) across the globe.

In my experience, I discovered that asking questions is a powerful means of clarifying goals especially asking the right questions. So I developed a 12point question grid that each answer ties up to serve the Central aim of finding PURPOSE

4 out of 12 strategic questions that can help you discover your purpose

Out of the 12, I will share only 4 and leave you to research the rest in previously published blog posts. At this point, I will advise you have your pen and paper ready to write down some deeply personal things.

Question 1

What do you hate so much that you can’t rest until you have fixed it/solved it?

Question 2

What do you have a passion for such that you can do even for free?

Question 3

What are your spiritual promptings? Put in another way, what is that thing that you believe God keeps putting in your heart/spirit to do?

Question 4

If you were a commodity, what kind of people/institutions will look for you the most?

To know the rest of the questions and how to use the grid to discover your purpose, check here from two previous posts: 

How To Discover Yourself Using The Self-Discovery Matrix 1

How To Discover Yourself Using The Self-Discovery Matrix 2

Take a look at all your answers, put them in the order of your greatest priority/passion/conviction, and take note of them. The most critical one on your list is a clear description of your purpose. It is expected that anyone who knows their purpose is meant to express it in words in less than 30 seconds. It has to be you. It has to be original. It has to resonate with your heartbeat It has to inspire you and your hearers upon contact.

Strategic steps to preparing a life plan

1. Discover your purpose and make it plain in writing

• This part is best handled using the self-discovery matrix.

2. List the things required to achieve it.

• Which ones do you have?
• Which ones don’t you have yet?

3. Who do you need to align with to achieve your plan?

• What are their skill sets and responsibilities?
• What value are they bringing into your system?

4. How long will it take to achieve it?

• Now break it down into routines for the day, week, month, and year

5. Make a list of what you will commit to doing daily, weekly, monthly, yearly to achieve it

• You can use an electronic diary or prompter to constantly remind yourself what to do per time (Google calendar can help)
• Better still, have an accountability partner who will check on your progress from time to time and make assessments based on the written expectations

6. Where will your vision/ target/assignment be needed in terms of demographics (what  age bracket) and geographics (particular location)

• How do you intend to reach them? 
• What platforms would you use to get across to them?

7. What do you stand to benefit from your life plan?

• Every life plan/ personal development plan (PDP) is anchored on a discovered purpose/assignment/target/ which must be clearly defined.

In conclusion

Your life plan is your lifelong job and responsibility. It is a job you can not retire from, resign from, or be fired from except you choose to let go of it. Your life plan is a call to work and not another intellectual exercise that is abandoned on the shelf or left to gather dust in your notebook. So take the strategic steps now and begin to work at it until you realize your life plan. 6 Proven Elements Of Success For Growth-Discovery is another post am sure you will find valuable in making your life plan a reality.