Eduard from Ideas With A Kick made this comment on one of the guest posts I wrote recently.

“You know, I think a lot of people look at the lifestyle Jonny is living and think: “Lucky bastard!” But this interview points out very well the real ingredients for achieving a great lifestyle, which can be used by anyone: vision, plan, execution. It’s not luck. Pure gold man.”

You can read the interview here, but Eduard has a knack of simplifying concepts down to their core components and so in this post I am going to elaborate on his ingredients for achieving a great lifestyle: Vision, Plan, Execution which I also refer to as The Destination, The Road Map and the Vehicle.

The Vision (The Destination)

If the vision for you life is a 4 x 4 cubical cell and retirement at 75 then fair enough but for most I don’t think this is the case. Life your sights higher.

What is the dream destination for you life? Does it involve palm trees and coconuts or high rise city living and expensive night clubs? Is it a Family Man or High flying Business Woman? Are you working or are you financially independent?

You need to have a goal, a vision, a target; a destination in mind of where you want to go in life and the more vivid you can make this “Picture” of your dream destination the better.

If you have no target, how are you going to know what to aim at? If you have no vision of the destination in mind then why start the journey. A life without a goals is very much like the Pictomin below.

There is movement but there is no focus. One can be extremely busy going absolutely nowhere. The next pictomin shows a focussed life, one with a vision and goals.

With focus you move forward towards your goals and dreams. It will not always be a direct path and you will deviate from time to time but you will always be moving upwards and not backwards.

The Plan ( The Road Map)

If you have an awesome destination in mind then you cannot reply of the SATNAV like everyone else – it will only take you to where everyone else is going. If you have an awesome destination to reach, then you need a custom map.

So you know where you want to be, but how do you get there? Without a map, getting to Point B from Point A is almost impossible. Do you have a map to your vision? If not then you need one.

You need to have a vision of where you want to be and it is by breaking this vision down into both long term and short term goals that gives you a map to your vision – a plan of how to get there with all the checkpoints along the way.

An end destination without a map is useless as is having a map but no end destination.

Having an end destination in mind AND a map to get there is what will make your life successful.

You no doubt have notice that almost all successful people have a strong sense of purpose, a compelling reason for why they act and live a certain way and almost without exception, all successful people have a plan, their roadmap for reaching their highly visual destination.

I cannot help you with your vision but I can help you create the map to help you get there. If you are serious about being an incredibly lucky bastard and living an awesome life then you need to focus on the vision for your life and then read “A Simple System That Will Change Your Life” which will give you a tool for developing the roadmap to achieve your vision. A large portion of thelifething is also dedicated for developing that map to your dreams so you can follow more by coming back here.

The Execution (The Vehicle)

If you are only aiming to get to the next town then an old Skoda will suffice but if you are planning to get to the other side of the world then a clapped out banger will not do – You need a Merc.

So you have a destination in mind and you have a map to get there but how far is the journey. Can you walk it? Will you need a bike? Perhaps it is a great distance from where you are now and you will need a large 7 seater?

Depending on the distance your vision for your life is, from where you are currently, will determine the size and complexity of the vehicle you will need to get you there. Your vehicle is all your tools, systems and processes that help you achieve your vision. Your time management skills, your people skills, your sales skills, communication tools, knowledge and understanding. It is all the things that your need as an individual need to successfully navigate the map you have created to achieve your goals.

The bigger your goal and the further and more grand the destination is from where you are currently the more you need to invest into a better vehicle. You may have the destination and the map, but if it is beyond walking distance then you are going to need a reliable vehicle to get you there. Without it, the journey will be a lot less fun than it could and you will only get half way. Build a solid vehicle to get you there and everything is possible from this strong foundation/

The Journey Of Your Life

So in conclusion, to have the journey of your life you need to have A Strong Visual Destination in mind. You then need to have a carefully detailed map of how to get there from where you are now which is broken down into checkpoints along the way. Finally you need the right Vehicle to aid you on your journey which is made up of all the processes and systems you develop for reaching the checkpoints on your map on the journey towards your dream destination.

Visualize a grand destination – Get a custom map – Drive there in a Merc.

Thelifething Can Help

Thelifething.com can help you with your journey,  it is as much about helping other people on their own journey as it is about developing my own.

It is as much about helping you create your roadmap as it is about creating my own and it is as much about developing your vehicle as it is about developing mine. If we all help each other along the way then we can all reach our dream destinations and enjoy the journey to boot.