Get Started! Before learning and using strategies, it is a must to first make a wants list, next identify your values and finally choose your goals. You will find yourself easily motivated to put your strategies to work. Create Your Wants List At the top of a pad of paper, write the following: "If I had unlimited time, money, talent and support from family, here is what I would do with my life..." What you write should excite you, motivate you, inspire you, make you laugh and, most of all, define your desires and dreams. Write everything down, no matter how silly it seems, no matter what it costs.
Values List Ideas and beliefs about the relative importance of things in your life are called values. Security, Wealth, Family, Friends...all of these may seem important to you, but creating a values list will help you determine which are most important to you. For instance, if you highly value security, choosing to leave your job and start your own business might cause a great deal of stress. The ability to choose your own values is the freedom to literally choose the direction of your life.     Take the too common example of the super-achieving, small business person who spends a lifetime building a successful business and devoting little time to anything else. When they look back, instead of having a feeling of accomplishment, they mourn the fact their marriage fell apart after many years and they never had a close relationship with their children.     Your values list will also enable you to choose the desires that should come first on your dreams list. The accomplishment of those dreams and goals that are in alignment with your top five values will be the most satisfying and personally rewarding. This is where 80% of your available energy and time should be spent! Identify Your Current Values and Then Prioritize Them Accordingly First, go through your Values List once or twice. In the lefthand column below, check off those values that are most important to you. Second, rate those values that you have checked from most important (1) to least important (10). You can always prioritize more than ten values. There are no right or wrong answers.
Your Values List (this should get you started)     Check Important Values Prioritize (1 - 10)       ___________ ___________ Peace of Mind     ___________ ___________ Security     ___________ ___________ Wealth     ___________ ___________ Health     ___________ ___________ Close relationship with spouse/partner     ___________ ___________ Meaningful relationship with children     ___________ ___________ Family (spending time with parents, other relatives)     ___________ ___________ Meeting the 'right' person     ___________ ___________ Meaningful job or career     ___________ ___________ Fame     ___________ ___________ Power     ___________ ___________ Free Time     ___________ ___________ Happiness     ___________ ___________ Close relationship with God     ___________ ___________ Friendships     ___________ ___________ Retirement     ___________ ___________ Contributing time, knowledge or money to others     ___________ ___________ Knowing important or famous people     ___________ ___________ Being in business for yourself     ___________ ___________ Having few problems to deal with     ___________ ___________ Living to an old age     ___________ ___________ Personal possessions - cars, house, jewelry, etc.     ___________ ___________ Travel to exciting places     ___________ ___________ Sense of accomplishment     ___________ ___________ Respect from others     ___________ ___________ Other ___________________________________
Download Value List in PDF format Have your spouse fill out a duplicate Value List Your Goals and Strategies Once you and your spouse have filled out your value lists, compare and discuss the similarities and differences. Use these values to determine your goals, and create a prioritized list based on your mutual needs. Once your goals have been determined, the strategies will fall into place. Time is always limited. You will get the greatest sense of satisfaction when your time is spent on those objectives, projects, adventures and relationships that you value most. So, it is crucial to prioritize your values once you discover them. It is you and only you who can decide what matters most in your life. Why spend time doing anything else?

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