We begin with one basic belief.  If you have a goal in life, any goal whether personal, business or financial you have a substantially higher probability of success if you have a plan.  Why does a business person write a business plan and develop the business idea fully on paper before building the physical business?  Why does a coach develop a game plan for defeating the opponent long before the game actually begins?  Why does a general develop a battle plan before the "bullets start flying?"  There are a multitude of advantages that accompany planning.  Do you believe that you will make better decisions by thinking, researching, collaborating and then writing a well thought out plan or by shooting from the hip?  Can your partner, spouse or collaborator better support you if they have a clear understanding of the overall strategy and their role in the strategy or would they be more effective getting instruction from you on the fly?  How will you know if you are on track without clear, measurable benchmarks, goals and deadlines?  We agree with Harvard University that setting goals and having a plan to reach those goals substantially increases your probability of success.

 

The 1979 Harvard MBA study on goal setting analyzed the graduating class to determine how many had set goals and had a plan for their attainment.  In the Harvard Business School MBA study on goal setting, the graduating class was asked a single question about their goals in life. The question was this:

Have you set written goals and created a plan for their attainment?

Prior to graduation, it was determined that:

  • 84% of the entire class had set no goals at all

  • 13% of the class had set written goals but had no concrete plans

  • 3% of the class had both written goals and concrete plans

So how did they fare? You may have a vague idea. 10 years later, the 13% of the class that had set written goals but had not created plans, were earning twice as much money as the 84% of the class that had set no goals at all.  However, the kicker is that the 3% of the class that had both written goals and a plan, were earning ten times as much as the other 97% of the class.  Here is a piece of life planning advice:  10 times as much income is better, roughly 10 times better.  

 

Why doesn't everyone have a "Life Plan" then?

There are many reasons.  The large majority of people don't have a plan, because quite frankly, they don't have a clue.  They don't even realize that life planning exists.  They don't have goals for their future.  Many people think they have goals.  What they actually have is dreams, dreams that will likely never happen.  Is there really a difference between dreams and goals?  Absolutely!!  A true goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline attached.

 

Do you need a Life Coach in addition to a Life Plan?

Everyone's answer is different.  How self disciplined are you?  How self aware are you?  What level of expertise do you possess in a variety of disciplines (financial planning, education planning,  career planning, developing your values and beliefs system, disaster preparation, etc.)?  Do you hold yourself accountable?  How well do you cope with setbacks?  Do you have someone in your life to bounce ideas off of?  Can you decide when your plan isn't working and needs to be modified?  Can you throw off discouragement and stay focused when things aren't moving as fast as you would like?  A small percentage of the population is capable of self leadership.  The large majority will find great benefit in working with a good leader/coach.  There are many definitions of a leader.  My favorite is Joel E. Barker's; "A leader is a person you will follow to a place you wouldn't go by yourself."  Life Planning University is designed to be a resource for everyone from do-it-yourselfers to neophytes who need help with everything to sophisticated self leaders who see that they can still benefit from collaborating with a professional.

 

What will this cost me?

The Harvard study suggests that you can enjoy 3-10 times the results with a plan.  How much is that worth to you?  Life Planning University is completely free to use.  You can work through our topics and develop your entire plan and create a finished written document at absolutely no cost to you.  We earn our income in four ways:

 

Affiliate Marketing  -  As you work through our lessons, we will recommend various books, products, services and vehicles we have determined to be low cost, quality options for implementing parts of your plan.  There will be links woven into the lesson that will take you to those recommended items.  Affiliate marketing links allow the university to be paid a referral fee when you use the products we recommend.  Clicking the affiliate marketing link doesn't cost you anything unless you decide to purchase the recommended item.  We do not directly sell any products except LPU merchandise.

 

LPU Merchandise -  From time to time we may offer Life Planning University branded merchandise (hats, shirts, banners, etc.) as well as books authored by our founder.

 

Life Coaching Fees -  We offer various levels of coaching.  You can choose comprehensive coaching is all ares of your life or focused coaching in specific subjects where you don't have the necessary expertise.  Your coaching can be email based, phone meetings, video conference or face-to-face meetings.  Coaching sessions can be one time or on-going weekly or monthly sessions.  We can develop your personal Life Coaching plan based upon your needs and your budget.  Again, it doesn't need to cost a dime.  You can use all of the resources and never pay us a dime.

 

Personal appearance fees - Our founder is an accomplished speaker on a variety of topics.  He is available for personal appearances, workshops, seminars and keynote speaking engagements.

 

How do you get started?

Just plug into Topic 1, "Develop your values and beliefs", and start working.  If you decide you can benefit from working with a Life Coach, we are at your disposal.  Good luck and ENJOY YOUR JOURNEY!!