Reach your goals with a one-page personal plan

Last month, I was honored to coach Young President’s Organization (YPO) community members from Sri Lanka, Ireland, Kenya, Costa Rica, Los Angeles, Israel, Philadelphia, and East Africa as they explored how to create a well-rounded entrepreneurial life. When was the last time you allowed yourself to dream bigger and reach further than you ever thought capable?

If a one-page personal plan sounds like something you’d be interested in, get a 100% free fillable PDF. Simply go to my website to contact me. I’ll be happy to email you this transformational tool that helped me when I was CEO of a growing software firm in Oklahoma. Otherwise, pull out a sheet of white paper and pen, and let’s get started! I’ll help you every step of the way.

Each year, I’d pull out this worksheet to go over my long-term dreams and short-term goals with my professional mentor as well as my husband. It helps those around you know where you’re headed, and how they can help you get there.

Entrepreneurs, CEOs, and business owners can often put their heart and soul into making a business work, even if it means being accessible to their brand or their staff 24/7/365. Boundaries? Nope—they’ve never heard of them. It’s quite common for leadership executives to lose their sense of balance between work, home, and a personal sense of self. The Scaling Up One-Page Personal Plan assists managers to take stock in a more holistic view of their lives.

You probably set goals in your professional life every year, or every quarter, but when was the last time you set personal goals, too?

As a coach, I love watching business owners reimagine their goals through the lens of deepening relationships, soaring achievements, habitual rituals, and wealth. Participants leave these sessions with a clear, aspirational roadmap to where they want to be long term (such as 10-25 years), plus select specific activities for 2021 to ensure every step of your chosen journey has a purpose. I help them identify habits to start or stop during the next 90 days to jumpstart their success by tending to faith, family, friends, fitness, and finances.

10-25 year dreams

Start by adding 10 years to your present age. Write it down. Then, add 25 years to your age. Write it down. Now within that age range, imagine with me—what do you want your life to look like?

Answer the following questions.

• In 10-25 years, in your wildest dreams, what would successful relationships look, feel, and sound like?
  • Will your middle-school-age children have grown up and been attending college? Would you speak to them by phone every week?
  • Will your high school grandchild be grown, married, and starting a family? How often would you visit?
  • How would you describe a blissful marriage at that age, rocking on your back porch every evening, watching the sunset with your favorite glass of wine?
• In 10-25 years, if you could wave a magic wand, what amazing achievements will you have accomplished?
  • Do you want to be a published author?
  • Is there an award you’ve always had your eye on?
  • Have plans on retiring early, buying an RV, and seeing the world up close and personal?
• In 10-25 years, what special rituals would you like to be daily or weekly habits?
  • Always dreamed of organizing a family reunion every summer?
  • Want to commit to a morning yoga routine or evening book by the fireplace?
  • What daily habit would be relevant a decade from now, that would bring you joy, happiness, and peace?
• In 10-25 years, what do you hope your wealth looks like?
  • At that age, will you have a financial planner helping you navigate retirement benefits?
  • Would you grow your mix within your portfolio of assets?
  • Maybe you’d love to own your own home and car, loan-free?

1-year activities

Now that you’ve allowed yourself to dream big—really big—it’s time to determine your first step on that journey to better relationships, bigger achievements, joyful rituals, and wealth.

Relationships

If you wrote how you’d like to have a blissful marriage 10-25 years from now, what do you need to accomplish this year in 2021 to walk toward that journey? Think of a S.M.A.R.T. goal to complete by Dec 31, 2021, and write it down. For example, establish a date night routine every other Friday.

Achievements

If you wrote how you’d enjoy becoming a published author, what’s the first step you can take this year? For example, would I motivate you to draw a fantasy book cover and post it in your office, or maybe you’re more practical and want to write an outline of the chapters you envision.

Rituals

If you wrote how you want to organize a family reunion every summer, just like your grandparents used to, what’s the next step to make that dream a reality? You might need to start a private Facebook group or email chain with family members, asking them to tag one another and share their updated contact information.

Wealth

If you wrote that you’d be at retirement age in 10-25 years and wanted to hit the road with a loaded RV and your career in the rearview mirror, what should you start to have in place financially this year? For example, maybe you could set up a meeting with a financial planner to get a fresh perspective on how your current mix of assets works toward your goals.

90-day action plan

Now that you’ve dreamed of what life will look and feel like in 10-25 years and then brought those visions toward a S.M.A.R.T. goal that is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound by the end of Dec 31, 2021, you’re on a roll! Just one step left to achieving a one-page personal plan.

We have to start somewhere, so what baby step will you take in the next 90 days to kickstart your journey in relationships, achievements, rituals, and wealth?

The harder question is how often and what do you commit to stop doing in the next 90 days? We all know there are only 24 hours in a day, so to start new habits, sometimes we need to release old habits that are taking up unnecessary space in our lives.

Relationships

• What do you need to start doing in the next 90 days? Do you want to make a wish list of date night restaurants soon?
• What should you stop doing in the next 90 days? Is there a toxic friendship that’s taking up too much of your time and draining you of energy?

Achievements

• Do you want to start writing one paragraph a day to prime your new book idea?
• Do you want to stop binge-watching just one show a weekend to make new time to write?

Rituals

• Do you need to start exercising with small 15-minute walks each night?
• Do you need to stop weighing yourself every day, feeding your fear that your diet and exercise aren’t working quickly enough?

Wealth

• Do you want to start looking at your credit card and checking statements to see what auto-debits are coming out of your account (that you may not remember, and no longer need)?
• Do you want to stop overpaying on a cable bill and decide to go wireless with a cheaper alternative, like Hulu or Netflix?

You’ve done it!

You now have your very own personal plan for the next 90 days, the next year, and even dreams to share 10-25 years from now. Congratulations!

These one-page personal plan principles work anywhere in the world. I became a certified international coach because I loved the idea of sharing the tools with other CEOs as I do in this monthly Edmond Business column.

Need help?

For a free 30-minute coaching session on your personalized plan, please visit my online scheduler to set up a private Zoom Q&A about your drafted one-page personal plan. No obligation; I’m simply on a mission to help 200 executives this year!