Have you ever stopped to ask yourself: What do I truly value? What drives me? What kind of life do I want to create?
Too often, we move through life on autopilot, letting obligations and distractions dictate our path… but what if, in just 30 days, you could gain the clarity needed to design a life aligned with your values, purpose, and goals?
The 30-Day Journey is a guided process I learned from my friend Matt Halloran, one of the intelligent, big-thinking consultants that helped me get to where I am today.
This process helps you to define what matters most, create a compelling vision, and build a concrete plan for achieving it. This is not a quick-fix exercise but a transformative process requiring self-reflection, commitment, and action.
Even more importantly – at least for me – is the fact that this is likely going to be frowned upon by some as a silly, “warm & fuzzy” exercise that you can skip.
Well… with all due respect, you’re wrong. One of the many BIG reasons I’ve achieved what I have in my career is a result of this exercise.
In fact, I’m proud to say that everything I wrote down in my “Perfect Day” has now come true, and it can come true for you, too!
…but more on that later. Let’s get into it.
Think of your journey as building a house:
To bring your vision to life, take a moment to write out your perfect day.
Start with:
Now, this is HUGELY important. Do… not… hold… back – and be VERY specific.
What do you see when you wake up in the morning? Is it warm or do you like it cold when you sleep? How do you look in the mirror when you walk into the bathroom? What do you do next? What’s your “perfect” morning look and feel like? The more specific you are, the better – as this exercise helps you pinpoint what truly matters so that you can integrate those elements into your daily life.
Unlike your Perfect Day, your personal mission statement should be short, clear, and powerful – something you can say every morning to remind yourself of your purpose.
Your professional mission is the external representation of your values in your career. Together, they define how you show up in the world.
Remember those SMART goals? Yep… you’ve gotta’ get back to those again.
I personally like to set a “range” of goals, where the first (and lowest) are the “tread water” goals. These is the ones where, if I don’t hit these goals, I should seriously consider firing myself.
The next goals are what I call the “realistic” goals. These are the ones that I typically share with my team. They’re not too low, but not too high to obtain, either.
Finally, my favorite – the “euphoric” goals. These are the goals I set so ridiculously and unrealistically high, the changes of hitting them are pretty low.
Now, you might not share this philosophy, but I’ve always been someone who felt that the best reward for a goal was hitting the goal, itself. I never really needed (or wanted) to reward myself with some thing or experience.
Instead, call it a personality fault, but I’ve always lived with the fear that, if I set my goals too low, that at some point in the year, I’d subconsciously stop working as hard as I could, so I always like setting my personal goals euphorically high. Worst case, in a perfect world, I hit those “realistc” goals.
When setting your goals, remember:
As Matt always used to tell me, “Whatever it is you want in life, you have to be willing to give up something of equal time and/or value to get it.”
This journey is not about perfection – it’s about progress. By taking the time to reflect, plan, and take action, you can create a life that is fulfilling, meaningful, and truly yours.
You now have the blueprint. It’s time to start building the life you deserve.
The question is: Are you ready?!
‘till next time!
Adam
Adam Koos, CFP®, CMT, CFTe, CEPA is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM, one of approximately 2,500 active Chartered Market Technicians (CMT) worldwide, as well as a
Certified Financial Technician (CFTe®) through the International Federation of Technical Analysts (IFTA), and a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) via the Exit Planning Institute. He’s been named by Columbus Business First as one of their 20 People to Know in Finance, is a recipient of the Forty Under 40 award, is ranked by Investopedia as one of the Top-100 Most Influential Financial Advisers in the U.S., and is the winner of the coveted Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Ethics and Trust. Adam serves his clients as the president and portfolio manager at Libertas Wealth Management Group, Inc., a NAPFA-affiliated, Fee-Only Fiduciary and Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) firm, located in Columbus, Ohio