How Do You Turn Your Future Plans into Reality?

Last week I talked about the Discovery phase in your approach to developing your second act. We focused on discovering your key strengths and life experiences. This is an exciting time for you to re-engage your strengths and your prior life experiences to have the life you want after you leave your business.For many entrepreneurs, we’ve spent a lifetime building our businesses. Sometimes you’re not sure what’s available next.

There are two key factors that connect you to the future of your dreams. The first, understand your financial goals and the second, understand your personal goals. In this series of blogs, I focus on your personal goals and dreams. If you need more help on your financial goals, how to increase the value of your business, and how to sell your business, we discuss this at our sister blog at the High Growth Business Report

This week, we go further in the 4D Appreciative Inquiry process. The second step is the Dream phase. I challenge you to dream again. For many of my technology clients, this phase is hardest because they make their living dealing with facts and figures and see their analytic skills as a critical component to their success. As a group, technology entrepreneurs forget what helped them succeed was not their skills, but their vision of the future that drove their successful businesses. During the dream phase of this process, I again challenge you to see the future to create the life of your dreams. During the dream phase you should consider what you enjoy doing and how you would like to live your next phase of life. During the dream phase, I ask you to not limit your own future. Take time to consider what you enjoy doing and what role you would like to have in your family and community.

When you explore your hopes and dreams, consider what you really enjoy doing on a daily basis. What would you prefer not to do during your day? Design your future life around what you want and enjoy. I have found the more you focus on what you really want, the clearer your vision becomes. If you’re stuck, there are many assessments that can help you determine what you do better than others and how you can apply it to your future life.

The third step is the Design phase. The design phase is critical to your future. Until now we have spent our time discovering and dreaming about your perfect life. Congratulations, you have advanced further than most people do in planning for the second half of their lives. You should be feeling reenergized and reconnected to your life. You should be feeling good about the unlimited possibilities that exist in your life. Most of the people I work with on these stages are regaining confidence and control of their own futures. Since you are creating the vision, it is now time to start putting together a roadmap for your future.

The Design phase helps you understand what needs to happen to help you achieve your dreams. It is designed to help you take practical steps towards your dreams. Designing your life supports your larger aspirations. For many of my clients, during this phase they decide how much involvement they want in their business. They begin discussing this with their spouse and family to help decide what plan of action they could take. They also talk to professional advisors who can help them develop the infrastructure that is required to support their dreams.

Many entrepreneurs and executives spend significant time to create the life they want. They need to go through a series of meetings to help determine what they need to do to begin putting their plans into action.
I have found talking with peers and people with similar backgrounds helps you work your way through the process. A warning here for many founders of organizations who have spent most of their lives invested in their organizations, this process can take between 12-36 months to work through to create their exit planning strategy. I know this can be hard work but the payout in your life can be amazing. The more time you invest in this phase, the better your outcomes are.

Next week we talk about the final stage of this process, Destiny and share additional resources to help you work your way through this entire process. See you here next week.