If You Don't Design Your Own Life Plan, You'll Fall Into Someone Else's Plan
9 November 2026
If You Don't Design Your Own Life Plan, You'll Fall Into Someone Else's Plan
Your week can fill up with other people’s priorities. A personal growth plan can help you make room for what matters to you.
I was rereading one of my favourite Jim Rohn lines recently: “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan.” It made me think about how easily a week fills up with other people’s priorities, while the things we say matter most keep getting pushed to next week.
What would you like your life to look like?
Greater financial freedom. Stronger relationships. Better health. More time to enjoy life. Many of us want the same things. But what would they actually look like in your life?
That’s the question I try to come back to. “More time” could mean a quiet afternoon with your family, an unhurried breakfast, or having the space to say yes to something you’ve been putting off. The clearer I can be about what I mean, the easier it is to make a plan that fits my real life.
This isn’t about mapping every detail or getting the whole thing right before you start. It’s about making a choice about where you want to go, then giving that choice a little room in your week.
Be. Do. Have. Start anywhere.
Who do you want to be? What do you want to do? What do you want to have?
I like that you can start with any of the three. You might start with something you want to have, like more time with your family. That gets you thinking about what you could do differently this week, and what kind of parent or grandparent you want to be.
Write it down. Why does it matter? How do you want to feel? What would a good ordinary Tuesday look like if you were living that way?
And if words feel too abstract, grab a few magazines and make a vision board. Cut out the places you want to go, the things you want to try and the pictures that capture how you want to live. Notice which images you keep coming back to. They might tell you something about what matters most.
Turn the vision into something you can do this week
A vision can feel a long way off until I break it into long-, medium- and short-term goals. I make them SMART: specific, measurable, actionable, realistic and tied to a timeline.
Say my goal is more time with the people I love. Over the next year, I might want a working week with more room for family. Over the next three months, I could aim to free up one afternoon a week. This week, I could review my diary and choose one recurring commitment to delegate or move.
Then I give each task an owner and a date. Even if the owner is me.
After that, I follow up and measure what happened. Did I get the afternoon back? If the first attempt fell over, what did I learn that would change my next move?
A goal is useful when it gives me something to do, not just something to admire. And when a plan meets real life, I can adjust the next step without forgetting why I started.
Two BFOs I keep coming back to
A BFO is a blinding flash of the obvious. ;)
BFO #1: Take action
My plan can be a work in progress. I take the first step and use what I learn to work out the next one.
Action creates momentum. Once I’m moving, I have conversations, learn things and see opportunities I couldn’t have spotted from the starting line. I don’t need to know every turn in the road to take the first step.
BFO #2: Ask
I ask for advice. I ask for an opportunity. I ask for a referral. I ask someone who’s already travelled the road I’m on what they wish they’d known when they started.
And when I ask, I try to be specific. “Do you know someone who’s built a business that runs well without them there every day?” is much easier to act on than “Can you help me grow my business?”
A clear question gives someone a better chance of thinking of the right person, experience or next step.
Where Referron fits into my process
That’s where Referron fits into my own process. I can share my digital business card, connect with someone and make a warm introduction when I see a good fit.
When I reach out for help, I also ask myself who in my network could help them. If someone comes to mind, I check that both people are open to it, make the introduction and follow up.
I like that this keeps the exchange human. Asking for help doesn’t have to be a one-way street. Sometimes I can take a step towards my own goal and help someone else move towards theirs at the same time.
Try this today
- Write down one dream you’ve been carrying around in your head.
- Choose one action you can take today to move it forward.
- Think of one person who could help you take that step. Share your Referron card and make a specific ask.
- Look for a way to help them too. If you know someone they’d benefit from meeting, offer to make a warm introduction.
Plan → Goals → Tasks → Action → Ask → Follow up
That’s a simple sequence I can return to whenever a goal starts to feel too big or too vague. I can write down the plan, choose a goal, turn it into a task, take action, ask for help and follow up on what happened.
Be grateful
One more thing I'd add to any life plan: be grateful.
It's easy to focus on what's next and forget to notice what's already here. The people who show up for you. The mornings that start well. The wins you forgot to celebrate because you were already chasing the next one.
Gratitude isn't just a nice idea. It's part of the design. When I look at what actually fills my life — the friendships, the family, the travels, the silly moments on a rented Vespa — most of it wasn't on a goal list. It came from saying yes to people and opportunities, and from noticing them while they were happening.
So wherever you are in the plan, pause and take stock. What's already good? Who made this week better? Say so, to them and to yourself. The vision board shows you where you're going. Gratitude reminds you why it's worth going.
When things go pear shaped
I try to enjoy the journey and celebrate the small wins. I bring people along who believe in me, share some of my ambitions and will tell me honestly when it’s time to try a different approach. Some of the best things that come out of pursuing a goal are the people I meet along the way.
Things can go pear shaped, and shit happens!!! It always does.
But I can choose how I look at the situation. I can choose where I want to go, how I want to live and what I do with what happens along the way.
This is the question I try to ask: What opportunity has this opened up, and what can I do with it?
What’s one step you could take today? And who could you bring along?
