Which Road Do I Take?

Posted: Sunday July 12, 2009 under Lead Myself

One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree.
“Which road do I take?” she asked.
“Where do you want to go?” was his response.
“I don’t know,” Alice answered.
“Then,” said the cat, “it doesn’t matter.”

In an uncertain world, we wonder how far we can plan ahead. What if the economy gets worse? What if the economy gets better? What if GM engineers a car that runs on carbon dioxide? Who knows what waits around the corner? Are we safer to just take life as it comes?

Of course, with all the changes in the world, nothing has really changed. People have always asked these questions. (What if the barbarians attack? What if the plague comes back? What if the new king is crazier than the last one?)

A very few of us are born with a calling and a clear picture of who we are and what we are meant to do with our life. (Mozart was always going to be a composer, Einstein was always going to be a physicist, and Tiger Woods was always going to be a golfer.) The rest of us sort of figure it out as we go along. And, really, that’s part of the fun of life: finding our path. But can’t we just live in the moment and see what unfolds?

Chris Rock said, “You know, some people say life is short and that you could get hit by a bus at any moment and that you have to live each day like it’s your last. Bull——. Life is long. You’re probably not gonna get hit by a bus. And you’re gonna have to live with the choices you make for the next fifty years.”

Bad economy… good economy… life goes on and we should plan for it. Your path doesn’t need to be set in concrete, but you can’t count on mere chance to deliver success to your doorstep. You need a game plan… a blueprint… a goal and a strategy to achieve it. It can be flexible, and it can change, but it should exist.

Here’s our Top 5 Tips for simple planning:

• Write it down in any way that works for you.
• Make it clear and compelling to inspire action.
• Post it where it can inspire you every day.
• Regularly assess the path and your progress down it.
• Celebrate it when you achieve progress milestones.

Happy planning!