Life is a fun adventure. Something to embrace and shape. Although life is unpredictable, we can take time to design that which we can control. I know we cannot control every aspect and every season of life, yet, designing and planning proactively is a responsibility we should embrace. This will also have a positive effect on our present season.

Let us take a sneak peek into professional sports. According to David Lavallee’s research, engaging in sport career transition planning enhances performance. Professional athletes who have engaged in designing their life after sports, while playing, increased their performance while in professional sport. This is amazing. Think about it: when you plan your future today, your day has increased meaning and enjoyment.

Adam Rouse courageously shares his story. I think this is a great example for us all. You can read his story here. In his own words:

“As I was accepting the reality of never being a professional cricketer again, I got a call from the head coach at Kent who wanted to sign me. Not only was this a huge relief, but when this next contract came around, I was able to go into it with a completely different perspective and, knowing that I had an eye on my future out of the game, I found myself playing my cricket with more freedom and with a lot more appreciation for my time as a professional cricketer.”

When we have an idea where we want to go in the future, it allows us to enjoy the present much more. The present becomes a gift. We understand that the “now” will not last forever. We see things in perspective. Today might be part of the foundation for the future, but surely will not be in our future forever. As a professional athlete, you can enjoy the preparation before the game. You can enjoy the pressure and intensity of that most vital competition. Why so? Because you understand that sometime, somewhere, your professional career will end.

I know we are not all professional athletes. So let us bring this back home. Let me ask ordinary professionals and athletes the same questions:

1. How many of us strive in our daily life?
2. How much do you truly enjoy the pressure of the pivotal moments in your career?
3. How often do you put things in perspective?
4. Do you have a 5/10/20/30/50-year plan?
5. How often do you lift your head out of the sandbox?

I believe every human wants to embrace every day. But this is not always possible. We realise at the end of the day that the day knocked us out of the stadium. We lose years because we did not design and plan properly. This results in regret and frustration. It is often expressed through various unhealthy behaviours, such as mid-life crises, substance abuse, and other detrimental habits.

If we focus only on the here and now, our vision and sight will get blurred. We will have a distorted picture of reality. And that reality will become our truth. We will fight for that truth, only to find out that it was not the whole story. I know this does not sound wonderful, but the pain is real. We see it daily in our work with individuals.

I remember a friend once challenging me to have a 200-year financial plan. I thought he was crazy. His challenge was appropriate. I accepted the challenge. I took time to design it and put that in place. This helped me to enjoy my day-to-day more. I felt I had more purpose in my current season. I did not fear the future that much anymore. I know 200 years sounds crazy, and yes, I will have passed away before the halfway mark. Yet, it helped me to put things in perspective.

Maybe you are asking, so what can I do? What are some of the steps I need to take?

Here are some tips to create your game plan:

1. Think about the next 100 years. What do you want to achieve? What are some of the things you want your family to achieve, even the next three generations?
2. Master your time. Use your time wisely, with the end in mind. Spend time on what matters most.
3. Ask yourself, if my career has to end today, am I truly ready for a transition into my next adventure? What do I need to put into place now?
4. Take a step back, at least once a year. Get your head out of the proverbial sandbox. Put things in perspective.

Life is an adventure, and it is possible to build towards your future while enjoying the moments now. I want to encourage you to keep designing your future and enjoying today.

We have specifically designed a process to assist professional athletes in any stage of their career to plan for life after sports. For consultation or coaching on building Your Game Plan Now or any other personal mastery processes, please contact our office at office@xpand-sa.com.