Don’t wait to plan ahead.
One of the things that is so apparent as you grow older is how much faster time goes by. When you are a kid, summer seems to last forever. Now, it seems like it is over in a flash. All the things that you thought you would do seldom ever get done and you are left wondering “where did the time go?”
Approaching 60 has made me keenly aware that the next big milestone is approaching 70! These next 10 years should really be the best 10 years of my life. But they won’t be without being intentional in how we live them. Time is way too precious to waste now or just leave to chance. Every day is an opportunity not to be wasted.
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”
Nikki and I are attending a 2 day planning retreat with an entrepreneur / business consultant in a couple weeks. There will be several other entrepreneurs attending the retreat who work regularly with the consultant on business strategy, annual plans, and long-term plans. What we will be doing is a little different, in that we want to walk away with a 10 year “life” plan that includes business and personal goals.
We have a lot to navigate over the next 10 years. Lots of things we want to do. Lots of things we need to make sure are thought out and strategically planned. Nobody wants to think about getting old, but it is a reality that you must embrace and try to manage on your own terms as much as possible.
I have heard the phrase “plan for the worst and hope for the best” many times in my life. It makes sense and speaks to making sure you are prepared if bad things happen. But I feel like at this point “plan for the best and be prepared for the worst” is a more appropriate motto. You don’t live your best life by accident. It comes through planning, fiscal responsibility, practical thinking, a desire to experience new things, taking care of your body, and dreaming big.
I have talked about “living an intentional life” in an earlier blog. These next 10 years for us need to be very intentional. At some point, I know that I will have physical limitations that will change our plans, but not now. I want to get the most out of the next decade and future decades. A roadmap for this journey should be an essential tool in making things happen and keeping life goals as motivators for action.