Personal Planning is one of those things I really like. My recent bout of planning out 2011 has me super excited and wanting so, so much to blurt it all out with regards to the amazing things happening in 2011 that I can hardly contain myself. Just today, something so amazing has transpired out of thin air virtually, that I am left with a delicious taste that is going to be there, lingering for the entire week, just making me smile every time I think of it.

I should be able to share it all next week, but really, I would never have gotten here without the continuous process of benchmarking in the last 30 months. Since I started Urban Ninja, things have progressed just beautifully. I am going over this process every few months, seeing how I can do things better, smarter. I am finding ways to improve even the simplest things, which in turn have a knock-on effect on other areas of my life.

Having just had my normal 3 easy weeks after a big block of work, I am rearing to go again with fresh ideas and a far more measured approach to what is going to be, simply, an incredible year in 2011. The season will see my traveling to new areas of the world as well as doing more races locally, but with a special twist which yes, I am dying to tell you about.

Kit is almost finished, agreements all virtually done and the damage done by traveling around the world to race almost sorted out. I am back to running 30min pain free and riding quite nicely again without discomfort in the hip. A far cry from some of the reports I have seen some of my other competitors putting up all over the web, with regards to their mileage. I do, however, have complete faith in my new coach that we will be able to perform some small miracles in the next 8 or 9 weeks. Once back from Epic Unsupported Tour 2010, I will be able to benchmark again and do some proper testing.

Assess the damage and reload. Fire with better clarity.

That is the process on repeat for 2011 as the season is going to be focussed on various different race distances, disciplines and skillsets, with little something absolutely crazy thrown in for good measure.

It’s important to assess the damage, benchmark how it feels and where it came from. To avoid mistakes repeating themselves, I try and write down how pain felt, because my body tends to forget. How much pain was there in Kona? Cant really tell you anymore, to be honest.

Give yourself 2 hours and try fill in the list in the personal planning article. PIN it to your door, your fridge or your cupboard. Fill it in again, in 3 months time and compare.

Reload

Fire smarter.

Reload….

BE GREAT!

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I love personal planning. Having recently completed a 6 month cycle of planning it’s been time to reflect and see where I can adapt and change some things moving forward to give me more breathing room. I have a list which I like to answer. Reflect on the items below and think about how these items may play into your goals for the future. What things drive your personal satisfaction and what things deter you from meeting your goals?

1. Big Picture (3-4 most important things)
2. Key Likes (3-4 areas that most drive my personal satisfaction)
3. Geography (where I will spend my time )
4. Body — key points for my body
5. Mind — key points for mind/knowledge/education
6. Spirit — when and how I will rest (from training, from work, from everything)
7. Places I want to visit
8. Personal Asset Allocation (today, five year, ten year)
9. Next twelve month expense projection
10. Next twelve month income projection
11. Personal Top Ten List — the ten most important things in my life that require focus, effort and time
12. Actions — what actions/habits are most important to me
13. Hazards — what items need to be watched to avoid roadblocks

Once I get those answered I always have a better idea of how to move forward with more ease and a better idea of how to make key decisions. Having a standard set of questions also means I can go back and see how I answered these questions 6, 12, 18 months ago and see if I was being realistic then, which helps adaptation and correct planning going forward.

That’s all for today. Back to your lives…

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So, bearing in mind the sun will be shining for the first time this week in Cape Town, and you should be lacking melatonin and generally happy vibes right now, I feel it imperative we do a few things over the weekend, which will undoubtedly improve the run-in to Monday, leaving you fresh and happy.

1. Take a walk. (this excludes triathletes – you all should train 30min less and take a 30min walk with your significant others) It will be good for your system to get out and appreciate how beautiful the world is right now. Not just where I live, but everywhere. Take a drive and walk somewhere remote. Who cares where it is. But take a walk and be alone with your thoughts.

2. Cook something new and exciting. Take a chance at being terrible and making a mess. There is a late night Woolies somewhere near you. Go all out, and invite some people. It doesnt have to be super expensive, but go out your way to cook something you may have been scared to cook before. Conquer a fear, and drink some amazing wine in the process.

3. Write a list of things you want to do before the end of the year. We are almost 6 months into the year. Its time to do a bit of reflection and plan for the coming 6 months ahead…

Just do those 3, and I guarantee you, that you will power into Monday, and the week ahead will be awesome.

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Its a crazy world out there at the moment. People seem to be twice as busy for the same output as a year ago. I know I certainly am. I am juggling working harder 9 to 5 than I have ever worked (which is good because the ethic spills over into other areas of my life), I am helping more and more with KHK as the brand grows and is now ready for center stage among the niche guys. My loving relationship with Marilu is at places I dreamt of and its very satisfying to see all this hard work give off dividends in a time when very few companies are giving out profit share.

Raoul Inc (lets call it that for this purpose), is doing very well and is very motivated. The daily hustle and the planning it takes to get my ass out the door in the morning and back at night is quite something, but its great.

I am in high spirits and have a childlike essence to me at the moment which is grand. I take very little personally and am finding the amount of personal jabs out there in general conversation quite like light comedy, as I can see the moment and watch it pass. (more…)

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The pic looks much better when you click it…

Its going to be a weekend of personal planning for me and as such I wanted to share with you the questions that were given to me to answer in my personal planning by Gordo Byrn – a man I very much respect. I have always insisted its a personal journey and that the journey changes all the time, as our needs and peer groups change. Have you planned for this year, properly? With economic meltdowns, tougher times and increased pressure at work and at play – have you really planned for that? Not for 20 minutes, but for an hour or two over a few days.

I have also thrown in a heavy training camp to wear myself a little thin to get to the good stuff, what really matters to me when the chips are down. Routine with regular challenges is what works best for me and I had to work this out the hard way….

what works for you?

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Key headers…

1. Big Picture (3-4 most important things)

2. Key Likes (3-4 areas that most drive my personal satisfaction)

3. Geography (where I will spend my time )

4. Body — key points for my body

5. Mind — key points for mind/knowledge/education

6. Spirit — when and how I will rest (from training, from work, from everything)

7. Places I want to visit

8. Personal Asset Allocation (today, five year, ten year)

9. Next twelve month expense projection

10. Next twelve month income projection

11. Personal Top Ten List — the ten most important things in my life that require focus, effort and time

12. Actions — what actions/habits are most important to me

13. Hazards — what items need to be watched to avoid roadblocks

The next few lines are quoted direct from Gordo about what this will (hopefully) do for you, as its done for me…

In the process of doing this review, without distractions, you’ll learn a lot about whether your effort is aligned with your goals. As well, you’ll learn if your goals are consistent with your main satisfaction drivers.

Lots of folks resist the idea that we create our own reality through thinking about it. I always ask myself “how can I achieve anything without constantly thinking it about it”?

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Brings me to my last point. How do we expect to achieve anything without constantly doing something about it? I hear alot of people talking about plans, ideas, dreams, visions, etc but I know a handful of people who are actually doing something about it. Only a handful. I am going to be one of those people this year, God willing, its time to take lasting action.

Align yourself with your peer group, set time aside for action, and tie in some valuable resources. History, as it seems, waits for nobody…

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Holidays are a great time for reflection and putting your life back on track. All the years commitments and happenings may have led you a little off the track you had painted for yourself. But these are good times to get over all that. Its time for Personal Planning and time to take action.
Here are some other things you may want to do:

Commit:

Take time to focus on what you can learn about yourself all the time, especially from how you react (such as anger, fear, jealousy, resentment, and impatience) instead of judging or blaming others or myself. Imagine what you just said was said to you and then take a moment to consider how you would feel.

Notice your emotions and take a good look at how they reflect in the mirror.

Notice your thoughts and write them down. Make a list and count if you are negative or positive as a base. You`ll never get to the total thoughts you have a day (around 60 000 a day) but you`ll get the notion of how you really are.
(more…)

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Its going to be a weekend of personal planning for me and as such I wanted to share with you the questions that were given to me to answer in my personal planning. I have always insisted its a personal journey and that the journey changes all the time, as our needs and peer groups change.

+++

Key headers…

1. Big Picture (3-4 most important things)

2. Key Likes (3-4 areas that most drive my personal satisfaction)

3. Geography (where I will spend my time )

4. Body — key points for my body

5. Mind — key points for mind/knowledge/education

6. Spirit — when and how I will rest (from training, from work, from everything)

7. Places I want to visit

8. Personal Asset Allocation (today, five year, ten year)

9. Next twelve month expense projection

10. Next twelve month income projection

11. Personal Top Ten List — the ten most important things in my life that require focus, effort and time

12. Actions — what actions/habits are most important to me

13. Hazards — what items need to be watched to avoid roadblocks

The next few lines are quoted direct from Gordo about what this will (hopefully) do for you, as its done for me…

In the process of doing this review, without distractions, you’ll learn a lot about whether your effort is aligned with your goals. As well, you’ll learn if your goals are consistent with your main satisfaction drivers.

I build that out annually and review it quarterly. It’s been an immensely valuable tool for me.

Lots of folks resist the idea that we create our own reality through thinking about it. I always ask myself “how can I achieve anything without constantly thinking it about it”?

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Brings me to another point. How do we expect to achieve anything without constantly doing something about it? I hear alot of people talking about plans, ideas, dreams, visions, etc but I know a handful of people who are actually doing something about it. Only a handful.

How rough is that? All that wasted energy, emotion and effort.

Align yourself with your peer group, set time aside for action, and tie in some valuable resources. History, as it seems, waits for nobody.

Raoul

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