Without a plan for your life, it is easy to lose your sense of purpose. You become confused about the highest and best use of your talents which leaves you vulnerable to rejection.

The primary reason for having a plan and making it known to those within your sphere of influence is to establish a baseline of expectations that has meaning, can be measured, and modified when necessary. The true challenge of life planning is to understand that you cannot change something without first knowing its purpose.

Once your plan is defined and made known to those within your sphere of influence, it becomes a matter of harnessing the energy of external pressures, which often take the form of rejection, to wend your way through the uncharted waters that lie ahead.

The nine action steps outlined below are designed to take you from where you are to where you want to be and to help you stay on course toward a prosperous future. Learning how to apply the planning wheel will empower you to overcome whatever obstacles might get in the way of your search for satisfaction and the fulfillment of your purpose.

Action Point #1. Define Purpose

A clearly defined purpose tells the world who you are, why you are here, what you have to offer, and what you hope to achieve. Without it, much time, talent, and treasure will be wasted while you try to figure out the right thing to do on the occasions when the future is unclear.

Action Point #2. Define Goals & Objectives

Goals and objectives define the amount of work you’re expected to complete, the time you need to spend doing it, the degree of accuracy you need to maintain, and the way you should conduct yourself.

(Note: As you move through the process revisit your Purpose between action points to ensure you are still on course and no corrections are needed and the route ahead is open.)

Action Point #3. Define Priorities

When resources are short and deadlines are pressing, a set of priorities helps you decide which goals matter, and which can be set aside as you calculate the cost-benefit of alternate actions. Thus, enabling you to change quickly by shifting priorities or setting new goals and objectives.

Action Point #4. Establish Minimum Acceptable Results

Failure to maintain minimum standards is the primary source of bottlenecks, production stoppages, and work slowdowns. Knowing how to balance minimum results and high priorities is vital to your ability to achieve your goals and objectives.

Action Point #5. Assign Management Accountability

Define accountability by using a tracking process like Responsibility Charting to pinpoint authority, roles, responsibilities, and reporting relationships that ensures you are the right person in the right place doing the right thing the right way.

Action Point #6. Define Performance Metrics

Knowing how much time, talent, and treasure it will take to meet your goals is critical. Hard indicators, such as budgets, quotas, errors, profits, sales, expenses, and deadlines are measures of efficiency. Soft indicators, such as satisfaction, experience, confidence, attitude, values, spirit, and motivation are measures of effectiveness.

Action Point #7. Establish Performance Metrics Feedback

Finding out whether you’re meeting performance objectives is essential. To avoid feeling rejected and to have meaning, feedback must be fair, objective, and timely. Feedback should contain observations from all those you interact with on a regular basis.

Action Point #8. Audit Goals & Objectives

Performance reviews should uncover any undesirable side effects resulting from goal ambiguity or goal conflicts. You could be stressed out from overload, or you may need greater challenges. Congratulations are due if you met or exceeded your targets. If not, prepare a corrective action plan to address those results that are lower than expected.

Action Point #9. Identify Unattainable Goals & Objectives

Take a close look at what’s not working and try to decide what can be done to change the outcome. Decide whether these goals are worth any further investment. If attainment is still important, identify the obstacles that are blocking success and find ways to lessen the impact they are having on your performance.

By the time you’ve worked your way through the planning wheel, your purpose may have changed. When that happens, you may need to reset some goals and objectives. Even if your purpose hasn’t changed, it makes no sense to continue working on goals and objectives that are nonproductive. This might be a good time to look elsewhere for opportunities that could lead to a more satisfying life.