It is never too soon to encourage our youth to start mapping out their life plan. However, they cannot be expected to chart the course of their lives on their own. We must help them plan, organize, strategize and steer their lives towards the goals that they ultimately set for themselves.
This starts with a simple conversation. Let's ask them the following questions and have them write their answers:
••What outcomes do they want in their lives?
What do they want their lifestyles, careers, families to be like? Be specific! What car do they want and how does the leather smell? What are their vacation destinations and how does the ocean breeze feel on their skin? And how's the water? What does their home look like? What color paint is on the walls?
•••What can catalyze their outcome(s)?
What can you do to ensure achieving your outcome? What actions need to be taken? For example, to purchase a first home by age 25, earnings will need to be saved, credit will have to be built, income needs to be steady. How can you become a nurse? Choose a nursing program? What is required for admission? (GPA, course study, entrance exam, etc?)
•••What can delay or prevent the outcome?
What events, behaviors or thinking can get in the way of achieving the outcome? Experimentation with drugs and alcohol, teenage pregnancy, criminal record, poor grade point average, poor credit, reckless spending…
•••What can you do to avoid barriers to your outcomes?
Stay around positive people, recognize what your barriers may be, make good choices, strategize, stay focused on outcomes, break your long term goal into smaller short term goals to prevent overwhelm, etc.
This is actually a great exercise at any age especially as goals can change during our lifetime. It helps young people realize that they are in control of their future and that their results will always be determined by the choices that they make.
If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to questions@NurahZaheerah.com. Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: http://NurahZaheerah.com and reading her blog: http://www.nurahzaheerah.com/blog
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