In this blog post we’ll be talking about creating your Life’s Roadmap. This can be a big task but it’s well worth the time and effort for a couple reasons. If you don’t know where you’re going, then any road will get you there, so you’ll need a target. Time passes very quickly in the grand scheme of things and, if you read my previous posts, you know that I really believe we are created by a God that had a purpose for us in mind when we were knit together in our mother’s womb. To make sure you fulfill that purpose, you will need to have defined that purpose. Then, when you breakdown your purpose and goals into meaningful steps you should emerge with logical progressive milestones of achievement on a timeline that stretches from one year to five years, ten, twenty, and further than that if you can envision it. Additionally, when I think about a Roadmap, it’s synonymous with thinking about Legacy so it’s important to align your life’s purpose, overall values, and goals to achieve the legacy you want to leave here on earth when it’s time to move on.
This activity builds on some previous exercises and articles. I’d like to invite you to read and do those activities, if you haven’t already, so you’re fully prepared for creating your Roadmap. See V.A.L.U.E.S activity and article and Long-Term Goals and Milestone Calculator exercise.
Let’s use the Wheel of Life categories to imagine what you would like the distant future to look like:

How to:
1. Brainstorm Life Areas that are important for you by:
a. Role: husband/wife, father/mother, manager, colleague, team member, sports player, community leader, or friend
b. Life Priorities: artistic expression, positive attitude, career, education, family, friends, financial freedom, physical challenge, pleasure, or public service
2. Use your V.A.L.U.E. Statements to guide you
3. Think in Legacy terms
4. When you write these statements in SMART goal language, it becomes easier for you to breakdown – keep in mind not all your goals will able to be so cut and quantitative:
a. Example: By 2035 I will own more than $5Million dollars in Real Estate Investments – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timebound
b. If this is one of your 12-year goals; then break it in half to find a 6-year SMART goal that will support the 12-year goal, Example: By 2029 I will own more than $2.5Million dollars in Real Estate Investments
c. If this is your 6-year goal; then break it in half to create a 3-year SMART goal that will support the 6-year goal, Example: By 2026 I will own more than $1.25Million dollars in Real Estate Investments
d. Now that you’re at the 3-year goal mark; continue to break that down into 1-year increments, (I’m writing this article at the end of 2022)
i. Example: By the end of 2023 I will have purchased/own one Real Estate investment property valued at $416,700
ii. By the end of 2024 I will have purchased/own two Real Estate investment properties valued at $416,700 each
iii. By the end of 2025/beginning of 2026 I will have purchased/own three Real Estate investment properties valued at $416,700 each
5. This becomes a clear plan that you are then able to place your creative energy behind achieving
Creating a life Roadmap doesn’t have to be complicated especially when you use SMART goal language but, not all your “do’s” or “be’s” will be quantifiable. They will simply be directional or quality of life related.
One of the things important to me in my life ten and fifteen years down the road is to have children that enjoy each other’s company. When they age and have their own families, my goal is that they will want to do life around each other. To foster this, I must be intentional about a few things like creating a home that is an emotional safe harbor; that each of them treat each other lovingly and with respect; that each of them lean on each other for guidance; and that we spend as much of our time together as possible. Therefore, we eat dinner together as often as possible – not every night because we have soccer practice, band practice, working dinners, etc. – but everyone knows Saturday night we go out to eat as a family and Monday’s, Tuesday’s, Thursday’s, & Friday’s (outside of band marching season) are our nights at the dinner table for 1.5 hours together enjoying each other’s company and keeping up with each other’s lives. I find ways for us to “work” together whether it be raking leaves or working in the garden, Sunday chores, or taking care of our pets together and sometimes I give them long duration tasks to complete on their own together like decluttering specific corners of the garage filled with their stuff where I make Mom the bad guy so they can start the bonding process on what a terrible Mother they have that works them to the bone and then their conversation moves on from there.
So as you can see, starting with thinking 15 years out, I have a directional goal and have stated this very clearly to them because I need their help in it, and I have done my best to figure out ways to create that future with things we do week in and week out. I know anything can happen and it may not turn out to be as I intend but by being intentional now it gives us a better chance at creating that future and that is the entire point of creating a Roadmap for your life.
You want to be clear in your mind about the far future you want and then do tasks and activities now that will help to create that future. The more specific with your goal you can be, the better plan you can create. Don’t forget to think about a Roadmap being synonymous with Legacy. Create this to align with your life’s purpose, overall values, and goals to achieve the legacy you want to leave here on earth when it’s time to move on. A life’s Roadmap will be refined year over year and adjusted with each major life change – if you get married or have another child, decide to move from a career to a business owner these changes can create a very different future than you have imagined, and you will need to adjust your Roadmap to keep it relevant and in the forefront. Finally, keep this handy such that you can remind yourself frequently of your ultimate goals in life. Go through it once a week, meditate on your future and let your creativity give you ideas and goals to work on now that will culminate into that future. You cannot hit a target you don’t have, luckily that’s not you. Your Roadmap is your target and chances that you will design a future that you truly desire are so much greater than before. You can do it and we’re here to help.
Concept from Zig Ziglar, "Goals"
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