“I want”: The audacious act of creating an annual vision & plan.

What could be more audacious than proclaiming a future you want to unfold?

“This is what I want.”

Visioning and planning sounds simple, but what an emotional hotbed.

Here’s how it goes down for me - can you relate?

I set the stage.  It’s planning time. I’m nestled into my blue velvet armchair in the kitchen, probably sipping something hot. I reflect on the past year, flip through notes of inspiration, welcome ideas, and ask myself questions. 

It boils down to, “What do I want in my life this year?” 

Because I’m me :), I begin by sketching stick figures with colorful pens, writing on paper, adding exclamation marks, and underlining key ideas.  

Inviting creativity and possibility to the page also invites doubter voices inside me.  They snicker and scoff:

“That’s ridiculous.”

“If it was that easy, why didn’t you do that last year?” 

“Ha, yeah, right.” 

I acknowledge and push through the - often mean - voices, countering with the grounding sentiments of:

“I can.”

“I will.” 

“I know.” 

“I want to.”   

Turning up the volume on the possible sounds like:

“Look what I accomplished last year!”  

“Of course I can.”   

“I know how to do this.”  

“I’m a fucking rock star.”

“I’ll get help; I’ll figure it out.”

I charge ahead.  

Following the armchair sessions, I transition back to my desk. I’ve done the work of putting down the vision; now it's a matter of how.

The plan.

How am I going to do this? 

 What do I need to do differently?

How will I chart my progress? 

What kind of help do I need?   

And, suddenly, as if conjured from thin air: 

I’ve got a plan! 

I post it on my wall. I organize my days and weeks accordingly - engaged in my challenging, audacious, and glorious journey.

So, here’s a shout-out to the brave souls I have the honor of working with this quarter. Here’s a taste of what they want.

• “I want to get out of bed every morning, excited.”

• “I want to focus on my family in France and finish my book.” 

• “I want to double my revenue and stop showing up “small” in my marriage.”

• “I want to find an investor and re-work my business model.”

• “I want to work with three mid-sized marketing agency clients a quarter.  And write a book.”
  
  

Powerful shit.  Woo hoo!