Why Life Drafting?

I am always planning. I envision upcoming events in my head, rehearse conversations, taste meals, see the views, and plan routes I will take. I have always lived in the details. The minutia of every scenario. The problem with that comes–as you can probably imagine–when life doesn’t follow the vision and rules that I have in my head. It’s easy to feel like I failed when things don’t turn out perfectly, or become anxious when someone wants to change the plan at the last minute. 

But life cannot be planned out perfectly with every detail as you envision it. You might try, but that would likely leave you perpetually disappointed and not fun to be around as you force and push those around you into your vision of how everything should be. I don’t want to be that person. And if I were to venture a guess, you don’t really want to be that person either.

So how do we strike a balance?

How do we plan without gripping so tightly? How do we be spontaneous without being stressed that everything will be wrong? How do we learn to go with the flow?

I use an approach to life–and coaching–that I call Life Drafting. Imagine that you’re writing a book or an essay, or even a short story. Your first attempt at getting it onto paper won’t be perfect. Edits will be required. Sometimes you scrap the whole thing and start over. You delete whole sections. You move words, sentences, and paragraphs. It’s messy. It’s imperfect. Just like life.

I’m not suggesting that you don’t plan. It’s important to have a vision and goals for what you want from life. Set goals and work hard to achieve them, but when you’re stuck, broaden your perspective instead of narrowing it. Re-evaluate and re-commit or pivot. There’s no shame in editing something that doesn’t fit. It’s an ongoing process, not an end product. There are no “right” answers. Be curious and allow yourself to explore the possibilities. Be flexible. Move forward. 

Changing your vision and/or goals doesn’t mean you “gave up” or “quit”; it simply means that with new information, you have shifted your thinking.

Journal Prompts:

• When was a time something turned out differently than I planned, but ended up being wonderful anyway?

• How do I typically react when something doesn’t go “according to plan”?

• Where in my life could I invite more curiosity instead of control?

• If I saw my life as a working draft, what edits would I consider making?

• What beliefs do I carry about failure and perfection? Where did those come from?

• What would it feel like to replace “rigid planning” with “guided vision”?

• What are some ways I can honor my need to prepare without over-attaching to the outcome?

• How might flexibility be an act of self-trust?

Affirmations:

• I am not failing; I am editing.

• Life is a draft, not a final copy. I am allowed to revise.

• I release the need to control every detail.

• I can trust myself to adapt with grace.

• The unknown holds as much potential as the planned.

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Save the Date!!!!

I am in the planning stages for our first annual planning retreat - Draft Your Year with Pencil and Purpose! Dates are January 22-25, with a Thursday evening arrival and departure Sunday morning. This will be for members and other guests (known by either me or a member). I'm tentatively planning to include breakfast, lunch and snacks with dinner on your own (as long as the location has options). Cost is to be determined and will depend upon the number of participants. I want to book a house in the fall and will be looking to get confirmations and a deposit by then. Stay tuned!

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Office Hours:  Office Hours for this month are on July 17. This is for Basic Coaching Members as well as any Premier Coaching Members who would like to touch base between scheduled coaching appointments. HERE is the link to schedule a 30-minute slot

The Weekly Draft: happens every Sunday evening at 7pm at this link. Come prepared to reflect on this past week and plan for the coming week. It is meant to be a heads down, co-planning time, with me being available to share strategies and/or answer questions. Join me HERE