There have been so many great learnings since we published “Write, Open, Act: An Intentional Life Planning Workbook.” Thank you all for your comments and sharing.
One thing that’s come up for several people is that the idea of writing a life plan—and answering the questions in Step 1, “Uncover Your Life’s Wishes”—is very scary. One person commented that they didn’t have answers for many of the questions.
Two CEOs told me they were fantastic at creating plans for their businesses, but that creating one for themselves caused them to freeze.
I was speaking recently to a good friend, Tracy, who coaches companies and CEOs, and asked her why she thought some business leaders found this planning process scary.
“For so many business leaders, their whole lives have been about their work and careers. They’ve neglected their personal lives, so the idea of looking at their personal lives and the choices they’ve made is intimidating,” she said.
If you’re feeling blocked, or can’t answer some of the questions posed in Step 1, check out the tips listed on page 47 of “Write, Open, Act”—for instance, maybe start a meditation practice or a daily journaling process, or see a therapist or hire a coach like Tracy.
One of the most important books in my life is “Letters to a Young Poet” by Rainer Maria Rilke. In the book, he advises:
“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.”
“Write, Open, Act: An Intentional Life Planning Workbook” and our video tutorial (sold separately) are available at writeopenact.com.
