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In a previous post, “Your Ideal Life,” the first in this series, we discussed how to identify what would constitute Your Ideal Life and make a list of all the factors involved: where you would live, what job or career you would have, who you would want with you, what you’d like to achieve, and so on.  In the second post of the series, “The Power of Visual Imagery,” you learned how to make a visual image of all your goals, such as a Vision Board or Ideal Life Scrapbook. You began meditating upon your goals every day. If you missed these previous blog posts, please check them out. 

Now comes the all-important next step: to develop an Ideal Life Blueprint, which will be your plan to actually begin to make that Ideal Life a reality.

To create the blueprint, you can use a special notebook or create a document on your computer. Many experts believe that writing things by hand actually is more effective in imprinting your ideas onto your subconscious mind, but do whatever works best for you.

To begin, use one section of your notebook or computer document for each aspect of Your Ideal Life. You’ll need to allow enough room to develop your blueprint for each goal. Another method, if you don’t mind your blueprint being on display and you have enough wall space, is to get a large bulletin board or whiteboard and divide it into sections for each of your goals, upon which you will pin or write each step in your blueprint. This last method has the advantage of being frequently in sight, which will keep your goals top-of-mind. If you have a Vision Board, hang your blueprint board alongside it, if possible.

The easiest way to create your blueprint is to start with the fulfillment of each goal and figure out what you might do to get there by following these steps:

Step 1. Ask yourself such questions as “what,” “where,” “when” and “why.” Bear in mind that the “how” isn’t always possible to know, especially at the beginning. To keep asking howsomething that seems unattainable right now could possibly happen can become a major stumbling block in believing that it’s possible at all. The “how” is usually God’s department. Your job is to have a clear understanding of what your goals are, and what you need to get there, by answering the other questions to the best of your ability.

Here’s an example: Supposing one of your goals is to buy a house one day. It’s helpful to figure out where you might want to live, and what kind of a house. Then ask yourself when would be a reasonable timeline in which to buy the house. For motivation, ask yourself “why” you want to own a house. Your answers might be, “It’s a good investment,” “It will give me enough room to raise a family,” “I want to live in a better neighborhood,” etc. Be honest with yourself as to whether your reasons resonate with you on a deep level, or whether they are superficial. For instance, “Because it’s expected of me,” or “Because all my friends own homes,” or “Because I want to brag that I live in that area” are shallow reasons that will make believing in your goal much more difficult. This probably won’t bring the happiness and fulfillment you might expect, especially if deep-down you know that you don’t really want the expense and work of upkeeping a big house and yard, and would prefer an apartment or condo.

Step 2. Now that you’ve answered the “what,” “where,” “when” and “why” questions to your satisfaction, the next step is to do your research. If the goal is a house in a particular neighborhood, begin to research the area you chose and the cost of homes similar to what you would like in that area.  Plan a visit to experience the area in person.

If your goal is a particular career, research what qualifications, skills or education you need. If your goal is to find a life partner, list the particular qualities you are seeking in a partner.

Step 3. Now that you’ve done your research, and have a better idea of the specifics of your goal, it’s time to figure out what you would need to get there from here. For instance, now you know how much that 4-bedroom home with the big yard in your chosen neighborhood would cost. Add in the other expenses such as real estate taxes, insurance, maintenance, etc., and you can figure out exactly how much money you would need for a down payment, and what sort of income would be required to pay the mortgage and maintain that home.

For your dream job, you’ll need to figure out how you might acquire the necessary skills or education you might not yet possess.

To find your life partner, perhaps you’ll want to explore what avenues might help lead to your meeting such a person.

 Step 4. Devise a short-term plan, listing practical steps you can take right now. To avoid becoming overwhelmed by how far you might have to go to reach your goal, set your plan to a manageable time-frame, such as one year.

Your list might read as follows:

• For your dream home: Set up a budget, figuring out how you can cut costs or earn more money, and deciding how much you can reasonably put in the bank each month to save towards a down payment.
• To find a life partner: Enlist the aid of friends who might be able to introduce you to someone. Explore reputable online dating services, groups, clubs or volunteer organizations that you might join in order to meet more people with similar interests to yours.

• For your ideal career: Take some night or online college courses to begin acquiring the degree you might need. Or make time to develop the gift you have that you want to turn into a career, to bring it up to the level required.

After the year is up, re-evaluate your goals and your progress, and devise a new short-term plan for the coming year.

Step 5. Keep in mind that there may be many steps along the way to your Ideal Life. You might meet a lot of frogs before you find your Prince. You might have to put up with jobs you don’t love in order to acquire the experience and skills that will lead to your dream job. You  first may need to buy a smaller house in a less-than-ideal neighborhood, in order to acquire enough equity to one day sell it and move up to a better home.

Step 6. Leave room for the magic, the mystery, and the wonder! You may not be sure that your short-term goals will work, and you probably are not sure what will follow after that. Just realize that you do not have to know all that right now. That comes under the “how” heading, and remember, you’re putting that part of your plan in God’s hands! Your only job right now is to do the very best you can with what you have and your present ability. Sometimes, things may seem to be going in the exact opposite direction from what you want. This is where the trust comes in. You have to believe that, as long as you’re doing the best you can, there is a plan behind everything that happens. You might not understand it right away, but it will make sense later on. It’s like looking at the reverse side of a tapestry: all you see is a tangle of threads that don’t seem to make any sense. But when you turn it over and see the beautiful image on the other side, you understand how all those seemingly random threads all worked together to create the final product.

Step 7. Pray that God will lead you to the life that will make you the happiest and most fulfilled. By doing this, you can rest assured that you will be guided in the attainment of your true goals.  Remember that our goals evolve over time. You may change some of them, eliminate others because they no longer resonate with you, and add new ones. This is nothing to be ashamed of or get anxious about. It’s normal. You’re not a failure if you change your mind about a goal. It just means that, due to your development as a person, the things that were important to you a few years ago may no longer be as important now. New ambitions and dreams will have taken their place. It’s part of our journey here on earth, so just trust the inner guidance you’ve been praying for.

God puts aspirations and desires into our hearts and souls. Not everything we think we want is a genuine goal. By praying for guidance, eventually the false goals will fall away, and you will be redirected to the ones that will accomplish your life’s mission and bring you the greatest fulfillment.

Next Time: Should You Share Your Goals?