It's funny that we make plans for our work and our hobbies. We often write out plans for planting a vegetable garden, for instance, or we jot down our grocery list. We keep detailed plans in our offices, even breaking the day into 15 minute segments. How often, though, does anyone make a plan for their own life? And yet, what could be more important than plotting out a course of action for your life?

A plan for your life is a set of goals, of course, but it can be much more. A life plan embodies your dreams, hopes, and aspirations. It also should reflect your values and purpose. Your faith will shine through a well designed and written life plan. The place to start is in defining your deepest dreams and desires.

Here's a caution, though. We live in a world where there are many voices clamoring for our attention. The goals you desire - are they really your goals? Is it possible that you personally don't have much interest in them, but you've been told to desire certain things by your family, peer group, or cultural standards? For instance, do you really desire a bigger, newer home? Or is it a social pressure to conform to the wishes of your family or friends?

Once you determine what your own personal hopes and dreams really are, you can begin to write up your life plan in the form of goals. There are several basic principles in writing goals. For one thing, they need to be specific. If they cannot be measured or if they are intangible, then you might not be able to tell if you've ever achieved them. For instance, you might want to "be friendlier to other people." How could you tell if you've reached that goal? A more specific goal would be, "Have someone over for dinner once a month," or "have two new close friends by the end of the year."

Second, goals need to be realistic and flexible. "A little at a time" is always a good rule of thumb. Some people call it "baby-stepping" your way to success. It works. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! So when you set your plans on paper, allow yourself time to reach tiny goals. Break it down into small steps.

Of course, the big picture is the main focus. Those little steps are all designed to reach the big goal. When making a life plan, take some time to dream about where and who you'd like to be in ten or even twenty years from now. This helps you define your own "big picture." Set yourself some goals to be reached by ten years from now. Your plans can be in the area of health, career, spiritual growth, or material wealth. You can write up social goals, too.

When you have your ten year picture in place, you can break the plan down into five year goals, two year goals, one year goals, and one month goals. Finally, choose a few things you can do today to get the ball rolling. While ten years from now seems like a long time, those life plans will never materialize if you don't start eating that elephant today!