Do You Have a Personal and Family Plan?

Forgive me for stepping out of the business realm for a brief moment, but something’s in the air. Maybe it’s the trying times, maybe we’re turning the corner on this recession, or maybe it’s spring. Regardless, I’ve had an unusual amount of requests for the Personal and Family Plan versions of the Vision/Traction Organizer (V/TO).

It dawned on me that most of you probably don’t even know they exist.

Known as the Personal Plan and Family Plan, these tools are modeled after the V/TO. Just as the V/TO helps an organization capture and crystallize its vision and plan, ultimately increasing the odds of accomplishing it, the Personal and Family Plans do the same for individuals and families. They’re not just for you and your family; you may know someone who could use some clarity and direction. It’s a very rewarding and enjoyable process to take someone through.

Here are three suggestions:

1. Go take a “Clarity Break” at your favorite quiet place. Take an hour and just start writing. There’s no doubt that the clearer you are on what you want, the clearer your company vision and Family Plan will be. When you come together, your world comes together. You’ll make better decisions in all aspects of your life. As Yogi Berra said, “You’ve got to be careful if you don’t know where you are going, ‘cause you might not get there.”
2. Sit down at the kitchen table with your family members and discuss and fill in the Family Plan.
3. Reach out and help someone in your life (assuming he or she wants help). It’s a blast and very rewarding to help someone fill out the Personal Plan, and he or she will thank you for it.

When you write out your vision and your mind sees it, it’s more likely to happen. Plus, scientific studies now show that when you physically write something, your brain engages and internalizes it more. (See Brain Rules by John Medina, 2008).

Stay focused,

Gino