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Thinking Differently, Part 1

How to create business goals that support your life goals

What do you want from your life? Such a loaded question and not easy to answer. Most have a general idea within a few minutes; a more detailed definition is usually a week or so away. The problem with this question is the societal and self-imposed walls and limitations we put on ourselves. As young children, our parents put up walls to protect us. As we got older, those walls came down as we learned to cross the street ourselves and new ones went up. This is why it can be so difficult to figure out what we want because it means removing
limitations. What if you truly started with a blank slate? Where would you choose to live? Did you think about the house, the street, the city, the state or the country? What was the first thought you had? This can reveal where your walls are. Set the business aside, and everything and anything in your life can change if you choose. 

I was working with a young attorney four years ago who had no idea what she wanted. As we got talking, we figured out she would like to take off one week a month. She said she could never do that. I explained she sets her schedule with the judge, who confirms with the other consul and they book the dates. It is easy for her to just not be available the last week of the month. If she had a case, she could plan for another attorney to cover; it’s done all the time. If you took down your barriers, what would you do? Are you thinking differently as the owner of your life? 

I have grown kids, a young grandson and an aging mother, to whom I choose to live near. Those things probably drive where most of us live, but that doesn’t prevent me from taking extended vacations. It is part of my life plan, which I incorporated into my business plan. Many companies have a business plan — but do you have a life plan that doesn’t revolve around your business? Your business plan should help you accomplish your life plan. 

- Sponsor -

Do you know what McDonald’s is in the business of? If you said making hamburgers, you would be wrong. McDonald’s is in the business of acquiring triple-A-rated real estate; they sell hamburgers to do
it. McDonald’s owns all the land its stores sit on; the franchisees lease that land. What is your real estate (life) plan, and what are your hamburgers (business plan) that help you achieve it?

How can you plan for your business if you don’t have a plan for yourself? What kind of example would you be setting for yourself, your partner, your kids or your employees without a life plan first? This is big homework — take it seriously. In the next article, I am going to talk about how you do what you want in life and in your business. Focus on the life plan for now, not how you are going to pull it off. We’ll get there!

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