Where Are You Headed?
Lisa Marie Platske • December 17, 2012
Every leader knows that it is important to ask the question, “Where am I headed?” – and I find that for me it serves as a valuable tool in both my personal and professional life.
How about you?
Do you know what road you’re on?
Do you know where you’re going?
Every business, every career, every life, is headed somewhere. (Whether it is where you want to go is a whole different topic!)
And, you need a PLAN outlining where you want to go coupled with a STRATEGYthat maps out specific action items detailing how to get there.
In 2007, when I wrote “Designing Your Destiny“, I did so because so hundreds of people I encountered couldn’t answer three questions:
1) Who am I?
2) What do I do? (Today, it is “What do I want?”)
3) Why does it matter?
At the time, research showed that less than 5% of all people had a life plan, — and only 10% of all small business owners ever create a written business plan with specific goals.
The #1 place to start building a sustainable and successful business, a career that is on track with where you want to be, or a life that matters is by having a strategic plan that you can follow like a roadmap.
Your roadmap will answer the following questions:
- Who am I?
- What do I stand for?
- What is my unique brand?
- What do I want?
- If I own a business or are in sales, who is my ideal client?If I work for someone else, who is my ideal colleague/co-worker?
- What do the people I work with get from working with me?
- What do I want to happen in the next 30 days? 90 days? 365 days?
- Why does it matter?
- At the end of the year, what will your achievements do for you? For others?
- At the end of your life, what impact will this have in the world?
Having a written plan gives you clarity and focus so that you accomplish your goals faster and with ease. (And, this is why I have participants at my Design Your Destiny Live™ begin working on their plan before they leave the weekend.)
With measurable objectives, you can see where you are on your journey so that you remain enthusiastic and do a happy dance everywhere you are. (Woo-Hoo! I’m here! Yay for me!)
And, people with a written plan actually make 10x’s more money than those who do not! (Can I get a “Ka-Ching!” on that one?!?)
So, if you’ve got all of these crazy ideas in your head about what you need to get started, let me set the record straight —
- You do not have to use a specific format to get started. All you need is a piece of paper and a pen or a computer and you can start building your plan.
- You do not need to worry about trying to get it right as this is not a pass/fail exercise. This means you have permission to be as creative as you want to be. (It does not need to be 50 pages long, double-spaced, with 1″ margins; this is your written vision, your BIG action document — and it’s changing and evolving in living form just as you are.)
- You do not need to accomplish everything you write down exactly on schedule to be a success. You get to map out whatever you want and do it in whatever time frame you’d like with all of the bumps and lumps that come with living a full life.
Just like anyone who has ever gone on a road trip knows, you may encounter a detour, or God-forbid have an accident. Life happens.
Think about it like a chef would. It is your recipe for success. You may want to add different ingredients, change up the menu, and do something new. All I know is that imperfect action is better than no action at all.
And, know you need objective guidance on your plan. Every great leader has a mentor, advisor, coach, or board that they turn to for a fresh perspective.
Here’s my Upside Challenge for this week:
Take 30 minutes to sit down and begin to craft a plan for yourself.
A career plan. A business plan. A life plan.
And if you already have a plan, dig it out, tweak, and evaluate. (Remember, Plan is the 1st Pillar of Leadership and Progress which involves evaluating is the 6th!)
Start by asking yourself, “Where am I headed?”, and use the questions above for clarity.
And, as always, see Upside. Be Upside. Live Upside.
By Lisa Marie Platske
•
April 18, 2025
Hope isn't a strategy. You can’t hope your way into a better job, career, or business. You can’t hope your way into a better relationship. And you can’t hope your way into a better life. I've watched people who "hope" others will trust them enough to do business with them. Or hire them for their dream job. Or "hope" that the most talented people out there will want to work with them in their company. Or "hope" that the man or woman of their dreams will show up on their doorstep and ask them out. Hope is defined as a "feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen." When invest time to get clear about who you are, what you want, and why it matters, it's more than just feeling your desire for something. You spent time, energy, and money creating clarity for your soul. This Upside leadership principle ensures you're not strong in only one area of your life - while being completely out of balance everywhere else. It keeps you from burning out after a year, or even a few. Because operating with clarity, confidence, and strategy ensures you get results that last. And that requires more than just hope. What kind of difference could that type of clarity make for you? If you want to be successful and profitable all areas of your life, this is the work I do so perhaps you're being called to dive in deeper to this community. Because the world needs you at your best. And hope isn’t the way to get there. ACTION: The Upside Challenge for the week is to identify one area where you’ve been hoping instead of leading. Where have you been waiting for a breakthrough instead of creating one? Take one decisive action today to move forward. Make the call. Send the email. Have the conversation. Do the work. Because God moves with you when you do.
By Lisa Marie Platske
•
April 9, 2025
A few years ago, I felt as if I was on a hamster wheel in my business. It seemed as if I was in the same place every morning - and running fast. Maybe you can relate. I knew I needed someone else to take a look and see what I couldn't because I was too close to it. I sought out someone who would let me learn from their mistakes and not have to make them all on my own. That’s one of the greatest benefits of leadership coaching. Can you be a leader without it? Sure. Yet, the odds of you wildly succeeding are stacked against you for so many reasons. And the biggest one is, you will be light-years behind your competitors if you have to make all of the mistakes on your own. You can always benefit from wisdom gained through others' direct experience, thereby saving yourself a great deal of time and energy. And, you never outgrow the need for coaching. For example, although my leadership coaching and consulting give my clients insights into other industries and companies and have them consider questions they may never have thought about, I, too, have undergone gap analyses in my own business. With the help of others, over 15 months, I examined every single activity that every team member did as well as scrutinizing where my time gets INVESTED. I brought in someone to look at processes for operations, and had a firm conduct a financial audit. We re-wrote SOP's (standard operating procedures), streamlined systems, and eliminated duplication. Some of the questions that I asked were: ~ Is this the simplest way to do this? ~ Is this (action, system, app, etc.) truly needed to run the business? ~ Is everyone on the team committed to the mission, values, and vision of Upside Thinking? ~ What can be automated or done differently? ~ What am I missing? While I talk to business owners almost every day with these questions in mind, it was an interesting journey to do this for me and my business and understand how important it is to ensure the people around me are involved in the process despite this being my area of expertise. Sometimes you can’t see what’s in front of you on your own. You have to be willing to see a new perspective. And then you have to be willing to do something about it. Sometimes, you need to step out of your current environment completely to gain the perspective you’re missing. That’s why I create spaces where leaders can reflect, and recalibrate. If this resonates with you, consider signing up for a Private, Leadership Retreat Day at Summit Hills Farm in Richmond, Kentucky. Our Spring and Fall Upside Retreats are already sold out. And I have a limited number of private retreat days available for 2025. Make a plan to reset, gain clarity, and step fully into what’s next for you. ACTION: The Upside Challenge for the week is to be committed to personal development, understanding you can't see what's getting in the way on your own. So, where in your business or life do you need outside perspective? Be open to taking action to get the answers needed to move forward with greater ease. Remember, you’re here for a reason… …and the world needs you and your brilliance.
By Lisa Marie Platske
•
April 1, 2025
That’s the question, isn’t it? If we’re connected, you’re probably not someone who settles. You stretch yourself regularly, and you know there’s always more to do and be. Yet even the most conscious leaders can fall into the comfort of what’s familiar. It’s easy to mistake movement for progress, busyness for impact, and routine for purpose. Settling doesn’t always look like giving up, it often looks like: ~ Saying “yes” to things that keep you busy and yet you don’t move you forward ... ~ Downplaying your vision because it feels too big or uncertain ... ~ Waiting for clarity instead of creating it through action ... ~ Feeling restless yet unsure how to break through ... It’s not a lack of ambition. Rather, it’s a lack of space to recalibrate, strategize, and listen to what’s next. Stretching requires intention. It means: ~ Surrounding yourself with people who challenge you to expand ~ Creating space for deep, strategic thinking ~ Taking bold action even when the path isn’t fully mapped out ~ Bringing God into the process so you’re aligned, not just accomplished I used to wonder where leaders -- those who wanted to change the world -- went to do this kind of work, to breathe life into their vision and build their next level. When I couldn’t find it, I built it. A space for those who refuse to settle for “someday.” Because when you decide to stretch into your highest calling, clarity follows. And when you surround yourself with others who are doing the same, transformation happens. Where are you stretching next? ACTION: The Upside Challenge for the week is to identify one area where you’ve been holding back, whether it’s speaking up, taking a bold step, or committing fully to your vision, Then take one action today to stretch beyond it. Growth happens when you move past comfort. And the miracle happens after you take the leap of faith.
By Lisa Marie Platske
•
March 26, 2025
Everyone wants success, yet few are willing to take the steps required to make it happen. The difference between those who wish for more and those who create it comes down to one thing — moving from belief to bold, faith-filled action. Napoleon Hill famously wrote in PMA: Science of Success Course that "The majority of people never discover the difference between wishing and believing; nor do they recognize that there are six steps which people usually follow in using their mind-power for the attainment of their desires. These steps are: First: Wishing or having wishes. The vast majority of people go through life by merely wishing for things. The percentage of people who stop at wishing is estimated to be 70%. Second: Developing wishes into desires. A much smaller percentage of the people develop their wishes into desires. These are estimated at 10%. Third: Developing wishes and desires into hopes. A still smaller percentage, estimated to be 8%, develop their wishes and desires into hopes. Fourth: Use mind-power to form hopes into beliefs. A still smaller percentage, estimated at only 6%, apply their mind-power up to do this step. Fifth: Crystallize wishes, desires, hopes, and beliefs into burning desire and faith. A very much smaller percentage of people, 4%, get this far in transforming their initial wishes. Sixth: Put faith into action by (1) planning and (2) carrying out those plans. The percentage of people who take the last two steps, putting their faith into action, is estimated to be only 2%. The outstanding leaders in every walk of life are the ones who carry on through each step and reach the sixth. They are a small group who recognize the power of their own minds, take possession of that power, and direct it to whatever ends they choose. To these people, the word impossible has no truth to it—no relevance to their lives. To them, everything they want or need is possible, and they manage to get it or make it happen." To quote Napoleon Hill, "The only trait which differentiates them from most of the others who accept failure as their lot, is that they recognize and use their mind's power for the attainment of the circumstances and things they want while the others do not. " I believe that this process, this use of my mind, and the power of my intention are how I ended up with a farm, barn, caretaker's cottage, and an event center. When you surround yourself with the right environment and take intentional steps forward, the shift from wishing to action becomes easier. That’s why I created the Upside Retreat , a space designed to help purpose-led leaders move beyond possibility and into reality. You were created with the power to bring your vision to life. Every desire placed on your heart is there for a reason, and it's your responsibility to move it forward. Action, guided by faith, is what creates transformation. So trust the process. Lean into what’s possible. And take the next step. ACTION: The Upside Challenge for the week is to recognize where you started with a wish and went through all six steps to bring it into action or being. If you cannot find an example, start today. Commit to persevering, to ignoring the concept of impossible. Whether you are celebrating a past success or starting anew, strengthen your mind-muscle around developing wishes through beliefs to faith to fruition. Go shine your light. Because the world needs you and your brilliance.
By Lisa Marie Platske
•
April 18, 2025
Hope isn't a strategy. You can’t hope your way into a better job, career, or business. You can’t hope your way into a better relationship. And you can’t hope your way into a better life. I've watched people who "hope" others will trust them enough to do business with them. Or hire them for their dream job. Or "hope" that the most talented people out there will want to work with them in their company. Or "hope" that the man or woman of their dreams will show up on their doorstep and ask them out. Hope is defined as a "feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen." When invest time to get clear about who you are, what you want, and why it matters, it's more than just feeling your desire for something. You spent time, energy, and money creating clarity for your soul. This Upside leadership principle ensures you're not strong in only one area of your life - while being completely out of balance everywhere else. It keeps you from burning out after a year, or even a few. Because operating with clarity, confidence, and strategy ensures you get results that last. And that requires more than just hope. What kind of difference could that type of clarity make for you? If you want to be successful and profitable all areas of your life, this is the work I do so perhaps you're being called to dive in deeper to this community. Because the world needs you at your best. And hope isn’t the way to get there. ACTION: The Upside Challenge for the week is to identify one area where you’ve been hoping instead of leading. Where have you been waiting for a breakthrough instead of creating one? Take one decisive action today to move forward. Make the call. Send the email. Have the conversation. Do the work. Because God moves with you when you do.
By Lisa Marie Platske
•
April 9, 2025
A few years ago, I felt as if I was on a hamster wheel in my business. It seemed as if I was in the same place every morning - and running fast. Maybe you can relate. I knew I needed someone else to take a look and see what I couldn't because I was too close to it. I sought out someone who would let me learn from their mistakes and not have to make them all on my own. That’s one of the greatest benefits of leadership coaching. Can you be a leader without it? Sure. Yet, the odds of you wildly succeeding are stacked against you for so many reasons. And the biggest one is, you will be light-years behind your competitors if you have to make all of the mistakes on your own. You can always benefit from wisdom gained through others' direct experience, thereby saving yourself a great deal of time and energy. And, you never outgrow the need for coaching. For example, although my leadership coaching and consulting give my clients insights into other industries and companies and have them consider questions they may never have thought about, I, too, have undergone gap analyses in my own business. With the help of others, over 15 months, I examined every single activity that every team member did as well as scrutinizing where my time gets INVESTED. I brought in someone to look at processes for operations, and had a firm conduct a financial audit. We re-wrote SOP's (standard operating procedures), streamlined systems, and eliminated duplication. Some of the questions that I asked were: ~ Is this the simplest way to do this? ~ Is this (action, system, app, etc.) truly needed to run the business? ~ Is everyone on the team committed to the mission, values, and vision of Upside Thinking? ~ What can be automated or done differently? ~ What am I missing? While I talk to business owners almost every day with these questions in mind, it was an interesting journey to do this for me and my business and understand how important it is to ensure the people around me are involved in the process despite this being my area of expertise. Sometimes you can’t see what’s in front of you on your own. You have to be willing to see a new perspective. And then you have to be willing to do something about it. Sometimes, you need to step out of your current environment completely to gain the perspective you’re missing. That’s why I create spaces where leaders can reflect, and recalibrate. If this resonates with you, consider signing up for a Private, Leadership Retreat Day at Summit Hills Farm in Richmond, Kentucky. Our Spring and Fall Upside Retreats are already sold out. And I have a limited number of private retreat days available for 2025. Make a plan to reset, gain clarity, and step fully into what’s next for you. ACTION: The Upside Challenge for the week is to be committed to personal development, understanding you can't see what's getting in the way on your own. So, where in your business or life do you need outside perspective? Be open to taking action to get the answers needed to move forward with greater ease. Remember, you’re here for a reason… …and the world needs you and your brilliance.
By Lisa Marie Platske
•
April 1, 2025
That’s the question, isn’t it? If we’re connected, you’re probably not someone who settles. You stretch yourself regularly, and you know there’s always more to do and be. Yet even the most conscious leaders can fall into the comfort of what’s familiar. It’s easy to mistake movement for progress, busyness for impact, and routine for purpose. Settling doesn’t always look like giving up, it often looks like: ~ Saying “yes” to things that keep you busy and yet you don’t move you forward ... ~ Downplaying your vision because it feels too big or uncertain ... ~ Waiting for clarity instead of creating it through action ... ~ Feeling restless yet unsure how to break through ... It’s not a lack of ambition. Rather, it’s a lack of space to recalibrate, strategize, and listen to what’s next. Stretching requires intention. It means: ~ Surrounding yourself with people who challenge you to expand ~ Creating space for deep, strategic thinking ~ Taking bold action even when the path isn’t fully mapped out ~ Bringing God into the process so you’re aligned, not just accomplished I used to wonder where leaders -- those who wanted to change the world -- went to do this kind of work, to breathe life into their vision and build their next level. When I couldn’t find it, I built it. A space for those who refuse to settle for “someday.” Because when you decide to stretch into your highest calling, clarity follows. And when you surround yourself with others who are doing the same, transformation happens. Where are you stretching next? ACTION: The Upside Challenge for the week is to identify one area where you’ve been holding back, whether it’s speaking up, taking a bold step, or committing fully to your vision, Then take one action today to stretch beyond it. Growth happens when you move past comfort. And the miracle happens after you take the leap of faith.
By Lisa Marie Platske
•
March 26, 2025
Everyone wants success, yet few are willing to take the steps required to make it happen. The difference between those who wish for more and those who create it comes down to one thing — moving from belief to bold, faith-filled action. Napoleon Hill famously wrote in PMA: Science of Success Course that "The majority of people never discover the difference between wishing and believing; nor do they recognize that there are six steps which people usually follow in using their mind-power for the attainment of their desires. These steps are: First: Wishing or having wishes. The vast majority of people go through life by merely wishing for things. The percentage of people who stop at wishing is estimated to be 70%. Second: Developing wishes into desires. A much smaller percentage of the people develop their wishes into desires. These are estimated at 10%. Third: Developing wishes and desires into hopes. A still smaller percentage, estimated to be 8%, develop their wishes and desires into hopes. Fourth: Use mind-power to form hopes into beliefs. A still smaller percentage, estimated at only 6%, apply their mind-power up to do this step. Fifth: Crystallize wishes, desires, hopes, and beliefs into burning desire and faith. A very much smaller percentage of people, 4%, get this far in transforming their initial wishes. Sixth: Put faith into action by (1) planning and (2) carrying out those plans. The percentage of people who take the last two steps, putting their faith into action, is estimated to be only 2%. The outstanding leaders in every walk of life are the ones who carry on through each step and reach the sixth. They are a small group who recognize the power of their own minds, take possession of that power, and direct it to whatever ends they choose. To these people, the word impossible has no truth to it—no relevance to their lives. To them, everything they want or need is possible, and they manage to get it or make it happen." To quote Napoleon Hill, "The only trait which differentiates them from most of the others who accept failure as their lot, is that they recognize and use their mind's power for the attainment of the circumstances and things they want while the others do not. " I believe that this process, this use of my mind, and the power of my intention are how I ended up with a farm, barn, caretaker's cottage, and an event center. When you surround yourself with the right environment and take intentional steps forward, the shift from wishing to action becomes easier. That’s why I created the Upside Retreat , a space designed to help purpose-led leaders move beyond possibility and into reality. You were created with the power to bring your vision to life. Every desire placed on your heart is there for a reason, and it's your responsibility to move it forward. Action, guided by faith, is what creates transformation. So trust the process. Lean into what’s possible. And take the next step. ACTION: The Upside Challenge for the week is to recognize where you started with a wish and went through all six steps to bring it into action or being. If you cannot find an example, start today. Commit to persevering, to ignoring the concept of impossible. Whether you are celebrating a past success or starting anew, strengthen your mind-muscle around developing wishes through beliefs to faith to fruition. Go shine your light. Because the world needs you and your brilliance.
