If you are anywhere near Nashville, you know that the warm temps have brought a feeling of spring and, quite possibly, the urge to clean out, clear up, and reconsider.
For me, this was also the year anniversary of my husband’s death and, though I haven’t yet finished writing all the notes of thanks and appreciation, I know that my life plan is definitely up for reconsideration!
A Life Plan?
Yes. Recently I was having dinner with a dear friend, who told me about having created a life plan for himself when he was in his twenties.
“It was the reason I was able to accomplish so much at an early age.”
Indeed he has. His remarkable life has been full of creativity and exploration, of boldly connecting with interesting people and ideas. He has been a successful composer and arranger of scores for hit records, movies and TV shows, among many other things. Now in his early sixties, he told me he was updating his life plan.
“In all my musical work,” he said, “I have rarely written lyrics. But the truth is? I actually do know what good lyrics are! In my new life plan, I have decided to take myself out of the category of someone who can’t write lyrics. And put myself into the category of someone who can.”
His words hit me like a strong wind and brought to mind all those times I have heard myself and others define ourselves as someone who can’t, or doesn’t, do a particular thing. What if we challenged ourselves to take ourselves out of the category of someone who can’t and put ourselves in the category of someone who can!
Here’s an amazingly simple suggestion for creating epic change, and it only takes a few minutes:
Consider those things you’ve toyed with doing, or believed you couldn’t do or shouldn’t do, then boldly take yourself out of that category and create a new one that says, “I am a person who can…”
I’m in the process of creating some new categories for myself, and I look forward to hearing what you decide!