"Business" Plan for Life

If you haven't read Johnny Bunko yet, then take the 20 minutes and read it. The first thing you might notice about the book is that it's done in manga format. The medium shouldn't (and for me doesn't) dominate the message, though. What sticks with me from this book is the call to action. The call for individuals to assess their approach to a career and make changes if necessary.

In his story, Dan Pink distinguishes between fundamental and instrumental manoeuvres. Overplanning and overcommitting to very distinct directions (instrumental manoeuvres) can be limiting. Making good decisions that can open up new doors (fundamental manoeuvres) are all up-side.

In an effort to make some quality fundamental decisions, at the suggestion of a mentor I went ahead and created a life plan for myself in the format of a business plan. In an exercise like this of course, the "plan" is worthless by the time you've finished typing. The purpose isn't to create an instrumental plan. The idea is to list some of your areas for growth that you can match your strengths to, and to decide on some actions that will point you in the right direction. Don't be afraid to acknowledge areas that you're not too good at. It's a great introspective and iterative process.

To get very personal, I'll share some of my directions shortly. Stay tuned.