Just having the plan is a huge lift.
I want to hear what else you are working on. Sure making a living, having kids, and all that stuff is nice, but what else? I really want to hear about it. Tell me…
Hugh MacLeod of Gapingvoid.com has written a book that just about captures the entire premise. And I highly recommend you subscribe to his daily cartoon, just to check out what he’s doing to dominate the world of evil plans. So here’s the idea.
We are all, every one of us, working for a living. But there seems to be a qualitative difference between the way some people are doing it and the way many more of us are. I have not escaped into my evil plan(tm) yet, but I’m working on several. But I want to outline for you, a moment of insight you need to have, RIGHT NOW.
You must have an evil plan. It’s that other path, the alternative way, the happier/blissful you that wakes up in the morning and says, “WOOT!”
But the plan is not enough. You have to be taking steps toward that dream in order to experience the magic. The more clear you can get about what the plan is, the better. At some point, you begin to think about priorities in terms of, “Is this towards my plan or not.” And as you gain momentum with your plan, you begin making the choice more and more often to go with the PLAN. Should I watch TV or read this book? Do I play on Facebook or write that post?
Sure, my plans mostly have to do with online things and products that I hope to promote via online marketing. If you can’t ship it, you can’t sell it. And if you don’t have a distribution network, you’ve got to work harder to get your product or service out to the people who might want it.
So there are several major steps that can help.
- Get a plan.
- Put the big idea up where you can see it. When you are about to go out drinking, look at the GOAL. Yes, we all need to have some release, but if the plan just gets delayed and ignored, after a while the dream may die. So put the goal (a mock-up of the book you want to write, for example) up where it weighs on you.
- Take steps to realize the plan. What’s the next step you can take, towards the goal?
- Revisit the plan, reassess the goal, and recommit.
- Get support for your plan.
- Keep going. Reset. Restart, if necessary, but always keep the evil plan(tm) in motion.
The day job in the cube is less oppressive if you are also imagining the evil plan. “I can do this for a few more years/months/hours,” is all it takes to keep going. And as you do more work on your plan, and gain support from others along similar paths, your plan will pick up steam.
At some point, Hugh MacLeod quit his day job as an advertising creative and started doing his cartoons full-time. BOOM. From a dream to a life work. And check out his site, he’s done a lot of things to monetize his cartooning. And seeing his plan come to fruition is a great way to remember your plan. He did it. He did it with cartoons! WOW. Don’t give up the plans. Redesign them. Reset the goals. But keep the building the plan. Always building the plan.
I highly recommend Hugh’s book. And I’m happy to chat (free of charge – as a fellow planner) with anyone about their evil plan. Let’s do this.
As I mentioned in a previous post, “In making a living, my goal is to match my core gifts and skills with my life’s calling.”
Good luck hatching your plan. And please do tell me about it.
John McElhenney — let’s connect online
@jmacofearth & LinkedIn
Please check out some of my books on AMAZON.
