Planning for Action

What if you wanted to bake a cake, but had no recipe? You could throw some ingredients together, set a random oven temp, and hope for the best. But it sure seems like a waste of time and ingredients. Maybe, if you try it a few more times you can get it right, but was it really what you wanted in the first place? What if you started a business without a plan? How would you know what to do first to generate the most profit? What if being happy was a higher priority? If you never thought about these things, you’d have no way to measure success.

What if you wanted to get in shape but didn’t have a roadmap to follow? Would you automatically know what and how much to eat? Would  nutrition and exercise take care of themselves?

Of course not. Random acts of wellness are awesome, but they sure don’t beat a plan of action for the long haul. And although planning takes some time, it actually creates results with a lot less wasted energies.

Life is busy. We all get that. But living in survival mode year after year isn’t getting you anywhere. (And face it, if everyday includes a crisis, maybe you should be expecting it by now and making plans to handle things differently.)

So let’s schedule some planning time to visit our dreams of wellness. Maybe you sit with a cup of tea (use your favorite teacup), or maybe you go for a quiet hike. Think about what wellness looks like for you. See yourself stronger, energized, slimmer, more flexible. Whatever you visualize as success is more important than anybody else’s vision for you. Forget Biggest Losers. Forget emaciated models. Focus on your vision.

Then write it down. For yourself, or for a friend who might share your journey. Planning is necessary if you truly want to have direction. It’s the first step towards long term success. It’s worth the time investment when you’re talking about something as important as your physical and mental health.

Work on this first step, and we’ll explore ways to translate a paper plan into an action plan next.