If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.
~Benjamin Franklin
The last three weeks of Finding the Gift meditations have been powerful reminders for me (and I hope for you). Today, the theme of living with intention continues. But first, if you haven’t read Inches from
Freedom, Inches from Freedom Part Two, and Say Yes to Life, take time to catch up first.
I’m writing from my second floor studio/office in our newly-constructed home on 42 wooded acres, overlooking our grounds, including the cat house my hubby built for our feral kitties. For our home and even for the cat house, we
relied on a set of plans that we carefully and thoughtfully designed. We wouldn’t have gotten very far if we had merely said, I wish we could build a house, or, Let’s start to build a house and see what happens by going with the flow.
No, we worked on a plan over a period of time, considering different perspectives and thinking through
important design decisions like, where will the sun rise and set, and which way do we want the house to face. What will the workflow feel like in the kitchen if we put an island here? We interviewed contractors to find the right person to help fortify our dream with a plan.
Did things change along the way? Of course they did. Many things changed.
The front elevations over the porch changed to avoid potential leaks. We have a full bed and bathroom upstairs now, to make use of every inch of usable space which became evident, once framing was complete.
More
will be revealed is true, as long as we’re taking the actions in front of us now, based on what we already know. In other words, not much happens when not much happens. Revelations come through the doing of what we know, rather than in the wishing for what we don’t have.
What does this have to do with you and me, and living with
intention?
Simply “going with the flow” (not planning our lives) invites a big risk, regarding where we end up. If I want to visit a friend who lives upstream from me, but I jump into the river with my paddle board and no oar, I am going to flow downstream, away from where I wanted to go, no matter how much I wish to be headed in the other
direction.
Even if I have an oar, I will fight the current the whole time I’m trying to go upstream and I may or may not make it. If I do, I will have spent a lot of energy fighting against life, instead of applying
the same energy elsewhere.
The better plan would be to consider the bigger picture and choose a different entrance point into the water, where I’m more likely to drift with ease to my desired destination. Flow is great, when we use it in our favor.
I shared in Inches from Freedom, Part Two some of my long-term goals, but I won’t get there without a plan. And I can’t make the best plan by myself, using only my thoughts and experiences. How would I know the best route, when I’ve never been “there” before?
My best thinking got me
HERE. I need something new to take me THERE.
When doing something new and different, we need to consult a map created by someone who has already made the trip. How much easier will the journey be if we have a guide helping us navigate the known twists, turns and currents we will encounter, to better prepare us for ending up where we intend to
go?
You know this. I know this. And yet, we live day after day, year after year, decade after decade without a clear plan to make sure we end up in the best places for us. We live with wishes in our hearts that don’t have a road map to follow.
I shared some of my bigger dreams in the previous weeks, but what are you working on? Waiting and wishing for? Who do you know (or know of) that has been “there” already? Who can share their map with you to help you reach your desired destinations?
If your biggest dreams are personal, find a mentor or a
coach. Free and paid options exist. (I love taking people on the journey to A Life Worth Having so let me know if I can help.) If your goals are business related, again, find a mentor or a coach. You don’t have to do this alone. We’re not meant to do life alone.
Side note for my fellow entrepreneurs
(Please skip the next few paragraphs if this doesn’t apply for you).
If
you are trying to grow in a small business endeavor (side gig or main), I want to share a free resource that friends of mine use and I have used once so far.
Check out SCORE.org.
From their website:
SCORE is a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration, which provides free mentoring and education to current and aspiring small business owners through its network of 10,000 volunteers. Since its founding in 1964, SCORE has helped 17 million entrepreneurs start, grow or successfully exit their businesses.
You
can search for a mentor by geographical location, or by field of expertise. https://www.score.org/find-mentor
I will be using my SCORE mentor again soon to help me create a business plan for my art
and other Finding the Gift books and products, once I’ve finished my new art-only website.
And hey, maybe you’re at a stage in life where you’re retired or are slowing down, but you still want to keep a toe in an industry you love, by sharing your own expertise and giving back? You should look into volunteering for SCORE! It’s truly an amazing
organization. I receive absolutely nothing for sharing this resource, but I believe everyone should know about it.
Okay, back to everyone...
Not all of my readers are entrepreneurs. Yet, all of my Finding the Gift friends do have wishes and dreams, whether you admit it or not. Tune into your spirit, the essence of you. Let yourself know what you really want. Name it. Tell someone else. Let yourself DREAM BIG.
What if all limitations were lifted? What do you really want? Where do you want to be in ten or twenty years? We can’t wait another decade or two, without actions or plans, and expect to get there. Get some help! There are so many specific resources out there to foster the advancement of your unique dreams.
May we all
have the courage to ask for help and take action on our dreams and goals… TODAY. Life is truly what we make of it. We can create our lives, or leave them to chance. Please join me in living with intention.
