Cheat sheet for your MBA in the University of Life

The best place to start, is at the beginning, the alpha…YOU!

When dealing with life, we experience the world and reactions from interactions, as we are;

As within, so without

Essentially, this means that what we are thinking, feeling and due to the resultant choices, we make, we influence our physical state of being.

By starting with you, you start to create the reality you seek.

This cheat sheet is a means to guide you on that route.

Don’t be alarmed by the seeming magnitude of this task!

You are already dealing with most of it; and simply need to know where and what to focus on, to experience the life of your dreams…

and, as always, I believe in you!

The easiest way to eat an elephant is …?

One bite at a time ;) so that’s what we’ll do,

break things down into manageable sections,

that are clear in their function and objectives.

A functional life is about doing as much as possible, within your maximum capacity but without causing undue wear and tear (stress!).

It’s about being energetic and vital, well-rounded and on top of your game but yet applying the law of LESS IS MORE or work smart, not hard.

There are 12 main areas that require your attention and these are listed below:

(goal setting = objectives driven & outcomes based)

* Health – without this you have nothing

* Fitness – supports many other areas of ones life e.g. health & social

* Relationships (romance, sex & love) – consider

o Past

o Present

o Future

* Family

o Kids (immediate/extended/fostered/adopted)

o Parents (paternal/maternal/extended)

o Siblings (immediate/extended/fostered/adopted)

o Important others e.g. cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents etc.

* Intellectual – what you do to stimulate your creative mind?

* Emotional – what you do to make you feel better/good?

* Spiritual – how you connect to your ‘higher self’?

* Recreational/Social – what you enjoy doing for fun and activity?

* Education/Developmental – what you do to invest in your skills, experience and knowledge?

* Community/Charity – what and where are you giving back in time, energy & currency? This should be at least a tithe (10%) of your time and/or energy, and/or funds, and/or resources.

* Career/Work/Trade/Living income – this depends on whether one is employed or self employed. But taking the more complicated route, we will focus on an individual that owns & manages their own business (as there are more factors to consider).

These are the areas that would require focus for success:

o Customers both Acquisition and Retention aspects - what are we doing to attract business and how are we keeping that business?

o Marketing (annual plan & budget) - who is the target market, what do they need from your business and how can you communicate that to them?

o Budgeting & finance & cash flow - sometimes it's worth getting the help of a professional?

o Maintenance – equipment, fixtures, furniture, transport etc

o Staff – this will have it’s whole own category! Human resources is an industry in it's own right.

o Social – what and how are you creating a community within your business to boost social cohesion?

o Community – what is your business doing to support the community that supports it? Giving is the most profitable form of receiving!

o Business content – this is what you spend the bulk of your time doing, to keep the wheels turning e.g. in my business it is the service I provide through either health coaching, reflexology, massage etc.

So yes, that is quite a daunting challenge…but you got this and I’ll tell you why…

Because if you were paying attention, then you will have noticed that many areas overlap, and by addressing one are,a you have automatically resolved matters within others.

See how easy it is?

E.g. HEALTH means I want to eat an 85% plant-based diet (which also contributes towards self development and education).

To do this, I will be cutting down on animal products and thus also packaging (this helps my spiritual area because i am being conscious as a consumer and the impact my actions have on this planet).

It will also give me more energy for my workouts (fitness area) because i am nourished.

And mentally, I will have less physiological inflammation due to the healthy nutrition, so my cognitive function will improve (intellectual - my ability to comprehend and integrate information is improved).

And thus I will have more time to enjoy time to have lunch with my friends (contributing towards recreational and emotional areas of living).

It’s worth finding some time, to sit in a quiet, comfortable, place/space for a dedicated amount of time, to really chew through each area. The more time we spend understanding our needs, the easier it is to address those areas that require more attention and less where it is not needed.

You want to ask yourself what your dream or vision is regarding that area (goal).

You want to understand the objectives behind your goal.

You want to

* set actionable steps,

* to reach achievable outcomes.

You need to be:

* Specific

* Measurable

* Achievable

* Relevant

* Time bound

It is wise to use formulas in life, as math has taught us, so I recommend spending the following amount of time on action-ing your goals, in order to achieve them:

40-50% planning and preparation

30-40% expenditure of energy/effort

20% reviewing and re-evaluating and reassessing

When we are calm & collected, we are able to pull our A-game.

Decisions are easy to make, things seem to fall into place when we connect the correct energy, with the best intention.

Please remember that if you need help Nicci B is there to serve, and happy to support where needed.

Important note: this post was inspired by, and the skeleton provided by LifeBook So you can either go there and do that, or use the cheat-sheet, as above, for your convenience.