I’ve been thinking that we often approach life as if it’s a prix fixe menu with substitutions politely declined.  You grow up and, ideally, go to college.  You make a living–the better the living the better the life.  There’s a right way to do work.  There’s a right way to be in relationships.  Or IS there another way?  What if we decided to live our lives off the menu?  We can, you know.  Here are a few approaches you might consider.

The Breadth of Possibilities
When I left Intel years ago a good friend gave me the book, 1000 Places to See Before You Die.  What inspiration!  He has a world map up on a wall and he and his partner are having a blast visiting the countries of the world and planning their next adventure.  Elsewhere, on the web, there is a lively movement of 101 in a 1001.  Make a list of 1001 things you want to accomplish and use this website to support your goals.

This approach will lead you to a breadth of experiences and accomplishments.  It’s up to you how wild you want to go or how practical.  Remember, it’s YOUR experience so design the menu that excites YOU.

Your Personal Everest
Another approach is to select one, big, audacious goal.  A goal like this requires massive effort and dedication.  For example, “Qualify for the Boston Marathon”.  I have one friend who had never run in her life and decided that she wanted to run a 10K.  She began from zero but worked with a competent trainer.  Over the months she walked, then did interval running and walking then regular runs of lengthening times.  She lost weight.  She ate right.  She did her first 10K and then her second and so on.  It was a life-changing goal that triggered many behavioral improvements for her.

Life as Process
This approach isn’t about the destination, it’s about the journey.  If you like to set goals this way they might be around Habits and Habits of Mind.  You can look at your life in areas such as:

• Social/Relationships
• Intellectual
• Physical
• Spiritual

In each of these areas (or whatever areas you choose) you can aspire to improvement.  For instance, under the Spiritual category I might try to ‘cultivate compassion and be more patient‘.  I might ‘practice forgiveness‘ because it’s good for me and the forgiven.

However, you approach goal-setting, or whether you do it at all, is up to you.  I do encourage you to think deeply about what you need now and what would please you.  Go ahead and go off the menu.  You deserve to be happy and the world benefits from your happy state.

SoulCollage® uses images, which you create yourself,  to tempt lateral and associative thinking, to discover what’s inside.  My next SoulCollage® workshop is on January.  Stay tuned for the date.

Images are powerful triggers.  I like to simply tear out images from magazines that appeal to me.  Over time you can see trends in what draws you.  If you don’t have stacks of magazines lying around you might be asking yourself, “Where do I get images Maggie?“  Well, here is a little gift of 54 images: the ThirdThoughtImageDeck (beta version).  Simply print them out, cut them up and you’ll have your own little travel deck.

The Goddess Workbook and Calendar is a whimsical planner to invite a beautiful new year. It’s filled with over 100 pages of worksheets & a printable calendar to help you dream, manifest, set your intentions, plan & cultivate your amazing new year. The workbook has been lovingly handwritten & rainbow illustrated by Leonie who lives in Australia.  It’s perfect for you to print out, soak up the rainbow colors of & get thoroughly inspired by!  I get one every year and it makes me smile.

Five is a book I wish I’d worked on.  It’s a little more linear than the processes above and some of the questions are BIG.  Where will you be five years from today?

Happy Dreaming!

                                                                                   photo by Toni Blay

One part of my annual planning for the new year is Time Travel.  As I sit in my comfy chair next to the holiday lights I travel back through the past year and I travel forward to the year to come.

Looking Back

One easy way to travel back in time is to note the events, accomplishments and progress you’ve made over 2011.  I also like to record the spectacular failures–along with the accompanying lesson learned.  Just one long list.  Don’t do it in one sitting.  Add to it over the next few weeks.

Once you’ve got your list you can apply the traditional Stop/Start/Continue filter to it.   Excellent data for your Looking Forward list.

Another approach is to simply look by season.  Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall….what stands out?  What made you happy?  What made you discontented?

Where I Am NOW
Just like Bridget Jones in her New Year diary I like to take stock of my current state.  Weight is one obvious but banal catagory.

Usually this is a Gratitude list for me.  I count my blessings and make note of my world as it is now.

Looking Forward

This activity can take many forms and I’ll elaborate in my next post.  For now, consider what you want to be true at this time next year.  To prepare for this work you might like to read this poignant essay on The Top 5 Regrets In Life By Those About to Die

Don’t be afraid to dig deep.  Your life matters.

Too often we begin brainstorming with simply what’s already in our heads, no inspiration, no stimulation…just brain draining.  Not ideal.  When I work with clients I like to begin with a phase I call SATURATION.

                                                                                   (photo credit: Todd Baker)

This is a process designed to give you a rich soup of inspirations, inclinations and ideas…excellent fodder for dreaming.  Here are some areas you might consider.

Early Dreams
When I was in junior high I wanted to be a librarian.  Why?  Because I loved reading.  Turns out I loved STORIES.  To this day, I love gathering stories and sharing stories.  This is a thread that I’ve seen develop in my life.  I also loved dancing…expression.  What did you dream on when you were young?  Get beyond the naive cliches and run through the timeline of your youth.  What captured your imagination?

Your Reputation
When people describe you what strengths do they mention?  Do you know?  You are a very competent ______ (fill in the blank with your job title).  But what is the je ne sais quoi that you bring to your work?  Your life?  Are you known as a deal broker?  Do others seek you out for mentoring?  What is your street rep?  If your retirement banquet was held tomorrow what stories would people tell about you?

Jealousies
Think back on the last time you were green with envy at someone else’s life.  I know you did not mean them any harm or want to take away their abundance (of course, you are good).  But what was it that you envied?  For me, I am jealous of people who have written books.  And that’s information for me.  If they can do it, why can’t I?  If someone else can have a beautifully ordered, serene home (another source of jealousy), why can’t I?

Completed Work
Ten years ago you loved it.  But now you don’t care if you ever do another __________ (fill in the blank).  We are novelty-loving creatures.  Eventually, we tire of things, unless we can find a way to refresh and enliven them in some way.  Is there work that you are DONE with?  Are there activities in your life you are ready to drop?  Don’t be afraid to let go of that which takes up time on your calendar and, worse, saps your energy.  Graciously let go and make space for that which feeds you.

What Touches You?
A dear colleague of mine is moved to tears talking about the elderly.  She feels protective of them and gives her time to a few of them.  I was moved to tears the first time I saw the aerialists descend from the ceiling in Cirque du Soleil’s Mystere.  What goes straight to your heart?

The Rich Pool
So, now what Maggie?  Now, nothing.  No decisions.  No commitments.  No answers.  Just gather all these ingredients and enjoy them.  You might pull pictures from your past.  You could grab pictures from magazines.  You could start a One Note file of your Future Biography.  Create an ideal Dossier of yourself.  Just play with it all and take this Winter Dreaming Time for yourself.  Trust that something intriguing will emerge.  Meg Wheatley used to advise her doctoral students to steep themselves in the chaos of research.  Eventually the chaos will settle into patterns.

For now, simply dwell on your dreams.

Definition of Busyness

busy·ness ˈbi-zē-nəs noun, the state of being busy:

• engaged in action : occupied
• being in use found the telephone busy
• full of activity : bustling a busy seaport
• foolishly or intrusively active : meddling
• full of distracting detail a busy design

Definition of Business

ˈbiz-nəs, -nəz,noun,  often attributive
archaic :  busyness

• an immediate task or objective; mission what is your business here?
• a particular field of endeavor the best in the business
• a usually commercial or mercantile activity engaged in as a means of livelihood
• dealings or transactions especially of an economic nature
• patronage took their business elsewhere
• serious activity requiring time and effort and usually the avoidance of distractions got down to business; maximum effort

You’ll note that “business” comes from the archaic “busyness”.  You’ll also note that the two words have very different meanings.

Busyness is about activity, potentially distracting and foolish.  Business has RESULTS inherent in its meaning.

So, today, are you busy?  Or are you getting down to business?  I ask, because sometimes it feels really good to be busy.  It’s easy for me to get caught up getting lots of (distracting and foolish things) done.  But, sometimes, if I slow down and think, I can identify one or two actions that will lead to powerful results.

My motto for the next two weeks: Be less busy.  Do more business.

Looking Back

One manager I coached began his meetings with a check-in from each team member giving their “Highlights” and “Lowlights”.  This is a good way to think about 2010.  Put yourself in an appreciative frame of mind and consider what went well this year.  Items can range from good personal habits to delightful new friends to favorite activities.  What highlights do you want to carry forward?  Just add them to the list for 2011.

Lowlights are also useful to examine.  Make a list of what you didn’t like about 2010.  No shame, no blame…just data.  What do you (finally) want to release?  Make a list and plan to have a Burning Bowl ceremony for yourself on New Years Eve.  The ritual anchors your resolve and it’s wonderfully satisfying to see those items dissolve in the fire.

Looking Forward

Oh, where to begin with this fun?  Here are some excellent resources to shape your thinking and help you capture your plans for the future.

This year I am again using the Goddess Planning Booklet.  It is whimsical, colorful, positive and also very thorough.  This is a pleasing resource especially for the visually inspired.  Plus the author is so darn positive and encouraging.

Once I’ve done the dreamy, vision-y thinking it’s important to get those plans in an actual calendar.  I like Planner Pads as a logical companion.  The organization flows from big categories to the specific–such as, ‘What time are you going to do that thing?’

For a real challenge try the Clean Sweep Assessment.  This is a whole-life assessment and it is not for the faint-of-heart.

Finally, I believe that a good process is the key to a good outcome.  This year I am experimenting with Checklists:

• What do I want to fit in every day?
• What do I want to fit in every week?
• And what do I want to do every month?

To Do lists feel a little confining so I like to make little Mind Maps instead and add color.  It is important to customize your planning process and make it your own.

Tempus Fugit

Each year that passes is a smaller fraction of our entire life.  As I get into ever-smaller fractions I find that time passes more quickly than I’d like.  Planning makes me happy because I know I’ll make room for what really matters to me.

Happy 2011!

Now it’s time to ANALYZE.

The notion of ‘analysis’ sometimes sets off alarm bells in the creative person.  Analysis doesn’t sound creative!  Ah, but it is My Friend.  Evaluating and Choosing are central to the creative process.

Here’s one method to create some focus:

1. Look at everything you’ve written on your Past Year map.  Circle 5 that bring you the most satisfaction.  You can use any criteria you like…the most difficult/breakthrough. the most fun, the ones that connect to your deepest values.  Anything.  Just choose FIVE.
2. Then look at these five.  What do you notice?  How might these top five inform your choices for the coming year?
3. Now look at everything on your New Year map.  Choose TEN.  Again, apply any criteria you like to choose your ten.
4. Write each of these aspirations on a notecard or a slip of paper.  Ten pieces of paper.
5. Array them and take a deep breath.  This is a good time to tap your intuition and follow those ideas that have the most juice for you.  As you read each one, what raises  your energy a little more?
6. Next you’re going to pile them up.  Of these ten, which is at the bottom of the list?  Which is at the top?  Which is second from the bottom?  Second from the top? And so on.

You now have a prioritized list of your top goals for the coming year.

What Next?

Incubate on this list for a couple of nights.  Reread your notecards before you go to sleep tonight and let your unconscious play with the ideas.  In my next post I’ll discuss how to support the process of actually DOING something with your dreams.

Looking Back

For the past few weeks I have been making mindmaps as part of my year-end creative planning.  Check out this post if you haven’t used mindmaps before.

As I think about the past year I start with some categories to help me generate the items.  This year I am working with:

• Fun
• Health
• Home
• Work
• Friends and Family
• Personal Development
• Creative Projects

I simply draw the stems and note accomplishments or events that fit in the bucket.

Now, you may ask, “Why bother?  The year is over.  Why look back?”  And here is how I would answer:

1) Take Credit. Some years, I have come to the end of the year with the feeling that I haven’t done much.  When I begin listing I notice that, in fact, every year is full of something.  I like to give myself credit for what I did–even when the accomplishments weren’t foreseen.

2) Notice the Buckets. Some years my buckets are really uneven.  For a few years I neglected my Health.  Other years the Fun bucket has been really jammed while the Work bucket was a little light.  This activity helps me to recalibrate.

3) The Power of Reflection.  If you are a person with a ‘bias-for-action’ it is useful to spend a little time in reflection.  Does this map reflect how you want to spend your time?

4) Remember the Good Times. I just like the simple snapshot that this activity gives me.

Looking Forward

At the same time I am building my mindmap for the past year I am generating ideas for the coming year.  Notice I wrote, “Ideas”.  This is a Brainwriting activity…not The Plan.  These are things I might do.  So go for it!  List anything you might choose to do.  Use the same categories or build up some new ones.  Maybe you want to take some risks in 2010.  Create a stem for Daring Deeds.  Or maybe you want to Get Organized–add that to your map.  Remember it’s your map and it’s just another step along the way.

In my next post I’ll describe some ways to Converge on The Plan.  Until then, have fun imagining a great 2010!

After you’ve answered the questions look for patterns.

• Are you indulging in your favorite activities often enough?
• Do all your favorites require enormous planning that can stall you?
• Do you need others to have fun?

The first time I did this exercise I was quite smug.  I had a nice variety in all the columns and I was enjoying myself regularly.  Then I got to the last column–all my favorites were OLD standbys.  I hadn’t picked up a new activity in years.  Which kind of surprised me.  It gave me some insight to patterns that were keeping me in a rut, creatively speaking.

From this activity you might come to a few new goals to add to the fodder of your Creative Planning for 2010.

“An inordinate passion for pleasure is the secret of remaining young”  -Oscar Wilde

Here is a simple exercise to get you started on your 2010 creative planning process.

TwentyThings part one

In the next post I’ll tell you what to do with it….