Do You Need a 100 Year Plan?

Last weekend during a hike through the woods, my forester husband turned to me and said, “You know, we have a 100 year plan for this land.”  I was stunned into silence.  100 years. 100 years!  Who on earth thinks about planning for 100 years out?

And then, the more I thought about it, the more the idea resonated.  100 Year Plan.  And the more I thought about it, the more appealing it became.  Just think about it.  What will your mark be in 100 years?  What am I doing now, so that in 2114 ripples will still be felt?

So whether you’re thinking professionally (like my husband and his company do), or yourself personally, taking a REALLY long view is sure to refocus you on what’s really important.

And since we are now almost to the exact 1/2 way point in the year, this is also a perfect time to pull out your goals for 2014 and look at them in this new light.  The light of 2114.

All 100 year plans for the forest must include seasons of clearing, planting, growing and harvesting. (For a great podcast on seasons in your business, I recommend you visit http://rayedwards.com/112/.  Ray has done a terrific job of talking about it in his feature segment “stop trying to find clients”.)  Following are some practical steps you can take today to create and implement your own 100 year plan.

1. Draw out a 100 year timeline and fill it up with you and your vision.  Imagine who will be there in 100 years.  Imagine what might be on there from your work.  Write it all out.
2. Next, write down what you most want to be/do/have by the time you leave the timeline (die).
3. Sift those desires through the sieve of time.  Do they fit?  Do they fall into the 100 year value category?  If not, that’s OK, but you may find yourself rearranging your priorities to incorporate activities of more lasting value.
4. Now, do the hard work of clearing out what doesn’t hold up and preparing the “soil” for new seedlings.  In forestry, only the best and strongest are planted in the prepared soil.  I think we could do the same.  Only the best and strongest activities/ideas can be included into our timeline.  Only plant things that will grow and blossom with the years.
5. Because you have your timeline filled up with things of long-term value, you can be focused and nurture an environment of support and growth.  Quickly thin out any weeds and/or volunteers that sprout and threaten to derail the growth of the best.  Plan for and create a positive nurturing environment for your ideas to grow into great things.

You might feel overwhelmed at the thought of a 100 year plan.  But if I may twist a quote from one of my good friends, “It’s going to be 2114 anyway,” so my friends, this is your opportunity to be intentional with the impact you will make in this life.  Today’s a great day to start!

Question:  Have you ever thought of making a 100-year-plan?  What appeals to you about this idea?  Are you motivated to look at your goals through this prism now?  I’d love to hear your thoughts!  Please leave your comments below.