The Personal Business Plan: A Blueprint for Running Your Life

3

When Do I Perform at My Best?

“Goals are dreams with deadlines”

Diana Scharf Hunt

We are progressing towards formulating your life ambition, the most valuable element in Your Personal Business Plan and the compass on your journey towards lifelong development and success. Your life ambition is the sum of what gives you meaning. What do you want to be known for?

Before we get that far I'm going to help you work out what has driven you in your career up till now. Our aim is to document the conditions under which you have thrived. Each and every time I have worked together with executives on the following exercise it has resulted in “eyes-wide-open” and wow! reactions. When you have completed it you will, for the first time ever, be able to in a completely precise manner describe why you were happier in your second job than in your first or vice versa.

Step 1

The diagram is quite simple. First you fill out the top row with your jobs up till now (including years). You can find an empty diagram at the back of the book and also at thepersonalbusinessplan.com.

I want to make it absolutely clear that you need to start with a blank left column. The following list can be used as inspiration, but it is your life and there is no One Size Fits All – we are all a sample of one .

Table 1 The Functional Conditions

Step 2

Now think back to your first job. Note in the left column which factors ...