Life Strategy

Do you have a life strategy? It’s not a plan, but more like a process – and it’s a great question to answer as we close out these last few weeks of 2018. (Actually, it’s a great question to answer any time of the year. But since we are racing toward the end of December, why not take the opportunity?)

The process of adjusting to life and of getting what you most want is a continual one, even though your goals may change at any time. But if you understand the process, you’ll also understand that developing a life strategy is a great idea. It gives us something to build on, not just something to build.

Now, a life strategy is not a life plan. A plan tells you what route to take to accomplish a specific goal. Plans are valuable. But a life strategy offers a more flexible, large-scale umbrella under which your plans can take shape. It’s taking the long view and providing general direction.

A strategy begins and ends with values – a prioritized listing of what is important to you. Things like self-discovery, personal and spiritual growth, mental and physical well-being, meeting challenge and adversity in a calm and centered way, harmonious and loving relationships, gratitude, etc. Those things you identify as being vitally important to having a full life.

Once you know what you value, you can set goals to help you bring about end-results that are aligned with your values. That’s a strategy, and it’s bigger than individual goals, but every bit as important.  If fact, values provide the foundation upon which you can stand, in order to reach your goals.

Without an overall strategy, you may get from Point A to Point B just fine. But by the time you get to Point D, the path may begin to crumble beneath you, because you picked the wrong Point B.  Understanding your core values provides essential insights, as you develop a reliable strategy to get to Point Z.