No goal or thought is impossible, and the journey that you plan is how you spend the days of your life.  Your goal trips can become some of your favorite memories!  It’s all about, “getting there,” and learning about yourself in the present moment as you take the steps to reach your dreams.

Photo by Studio Eiler @studioeiler

When it comes to planning and staying organized, I have always been a paper/post-it/journal/notebook kinda girl!  This might seem a little chaotic and messy, but there is something about seeing words in my own handwriting that makes me more committed and invested in what is on the paper.  Also, I have had a mild obsession with pens since I was in middle school (anyone else remember milky pens??).  I love to write down quotes, my goals (both long-term and short-term), my memories, little notes to myself, to-do lists, etc.  When you see a goal, an inspirational quote, or a task written down in your handwriting, you have the most important person holding you accountable: you!

“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible to visible.” -Tony Robbins

Throughout my life as a student, a teacher, and a personal goal-setter, I have used many different types of planners, journals, and notepads to write down my crazy, random thoughts, what I have wanted to accomplish, and future plans.  While I have learned a lot about planning and goal setting over the years, I still would have many times when I would get to a point in my “plan” and suddenly feel like I didn’t know what to do next.  I either hadn’t thought that far ahead as I was creating my plan, my timelines weren’t realistic, or my process that I designed was overwhelming.  I had many moments of feeling discouraged and disheartened; I had so many destinations in my life that I wanted to reach, but no reliable road map to get me there successfully.

Last year, one of my best friends who also enjoys planning and goal setting just as much as I do, gave me a gift that would soon change my world.  I opened the package to find a book with the words “Passion Planner” on the cover.  During the months that followed, this planner began to teach me a whole new approach in designing road maps towards my desired goals, or destinations.

The idea behind the “Goal Trip”

Most of us have been on a road trip in our lives and know that any time spent traveling somewhere in a car requires planning, packing, and mapping out the journey ahead.  Rarely do you simply jump behind the stirring wheel and begin driving without any direction or plan in place.  The same idea can be related to goal setting – in order to reach a desired goal in your life, especially one that requires time, additional resources, and certain prerequisites, you must have a plan!

The term “Goal Trip” was inspired by Passion Planner’s ideas and methods behind planning and setting goals.  After using this planner for a few months, it brought me to the realization that reaching the goal is not the only important part of your growth as an individual, but also the plan itself.  The plan is your journey, or your “trip.”  Just as every road trip begins with a map or a direction, every “goal trip” begins with a plan!

Friendly Disclaimer: In February, I became a rep for Passion Planner because it has personally helped me so much in my own life with goal setting and simply managing my time.  This is not a sponsored post.  I believe in the design and art of goal setting, and Passion Planner is one of the many tools out there that, if committed to, can help make dreams a reality.  

               Passion Planner and Citrus & Sun

Not only is Passion Planner the reason that my blog is up and running, but it’s message and story behind its creation aligns with my vision for this space.  We all have goals in our lives that we want to accomplish, some big, some small, but all important.  Writing down these ambitions, breaking them down into smaller tasks, and paying attention to other small moments in your daily life can all make a difference in your personal big picture.  No goal or thought is impossible, and the journey that you plan is how you spend the days of your life.  Your goal trips can become some of your favorite memories!  It’s all about, “getting there,” and learning about yourself in the present moment as you take the steps to reach your dreams.

“The best way to predict the future is to design it.” -Buckminster Fuller

No matter what tool you use to design you own goal trip, recording it in some way can turn your life into a visual thought or intention.  Committing to a visual plan can lead to the celebration of small victories in your daily life as you get closer to your overall goal!  By using Passion Planner and its components in my daily planning towards my own goals, I have created a “packing list” of some ideas that might be helpful to remember as you plan your own Goal Trip!  Each idea is described below, and is followed by a component of the Passion Planner that is behind its inspiration.

At the beginning of the Passion Planner there is a component called a “Passion Roadmap.”  On this “map” you have the opportunity to list out your personal “wish list” of things that you hope to accomplish in 3 months, 1 year, 3 years, and a lifetime!  This is where the design of your goal trip beings!

1. Destinations
Throughout my life, I have always been told to break up my overall goal into a plan comprised of smaller goals and steps.  While I agree with this advice 100%, I am totally guilty of creating a plan with “smaller” goals that still leaves me feeling like I am leaping blindly from rock to rock instead of walking slowly across stepping stones.  When planning your goal trip, make sure to break up your trip into shorter destinations.  While you have your final destination in mind, the smaller goals that you reach along the way leading to your overall goal are just as important and worth celebrating.  These are your stepping stones to reaching your final destination.

Passion Planner Inspiration: The Gamechanger
Your “gamechanger” is one goal from your Passion Roadmap wish list that you are ready to tackle!  After you have chosen this goal, map out as many steps as you can think of that will help you reach this goal.  This what Passion Planner calls your “Passion Plan!”  These are considered your “shorter destinations” between the beginning of your trip and your final destination.  The more detailed your steps are, the more successful you will be on your goal trip.  Remember–we are going for stepping stones here!  Below is an example of how I used this method of planning in order to reach my goal of running my first half marathon last year!   

2. Maps
Just as you have your overall “route” for your Goal Trip, sometimes your stops along the way also require individual maps.  Be sure to map out these shorter trips, and make sure you are holding yourself accountable for each of these steps by setting due dates along the way!

Passion Planner Inspiration: Weekly Layouts
The weekly layouts of Passion Planner contain a variety of components that can help set these “due date” and keep you on track with weekly goals and your steps towards your larger goal.  Each week contains a space for “This Week’s Focus” as well as spaces for you to write down a focus for each individual day.  There is also a “Personal To-Do List” and a “Work To-Do List” complete with space for you to write down specific due dates and prioritize based on the importance of the tasks. 

3. Rear-view Mirrors
As you are on your goal trip, it is very important to look back and reflect on what you have accomplished, what’s working well with your plan, and what might need to change.  This can be as simple as reflecting by thought, or going back and making changes based on how your trip is going up to that point in time.  While you want to keep your eyes forward, it is still important to glance at those rear-view mirrors once in a while to make sure you’re headed in the right direction and that you didn’t miss anything along the way!

Passion Planner Inspiration: Monthly Reflection Questions
Shown below is the “Monthly Reflection” spread that follows the completion of each month in the Passion Planner.  This reflection includes guiding questions for you to answer about how you spent your time during that month.  Not only is this a personal “rear-view mirror” from month to month that helps you look back at your progress and your memories, but it can also be an amazing reflection of an entire year when you reach the end of the planner and look back on all that you’ve done!

4. Encouraging Passengers
It is so important to have people in your life who support your goals and encourage you along the way, especially if your motivation is low or you hit a fork in the road.  Surround yourself with people who you can talk to throughout your goal trip, and who will give you honest feedback and positive energy.  These will be the best travel companions on your journey towards accomplishment!

Passion Planner Inspiration: Weekly motivational quotes and “challenges” 
I am also a huge fan of inspirational quotes!  Each weekly spread of the Passion Planner includes a motivational quote and a weekly “challenge” to go along with the theme or idea of that particular quote.  It’s a subtle reminder each week that you are supported and to keep on keeping on!

5. Travel Journal
Keeping notes, lists, your own inspirational quotes, photos, and a compilation of ideas can be so motivational to look back on and keep track of your progress as you are on your goal trip.  Write down successes, make to-do lists, create a place to write down tips and strategies that worked for you, take pictures, draw your own pictures; whatever it is that keeps you motivated and on track!

Passion Planner Inspiration: “Space Of Infinite Possibility”
Passion Planner has the ability to not only keep you on track with your daily life, but also serve as a journal to do everything I have listed above and more.  The back of the planner contains sheet after sheet of blank space that you can use for pretty much anything!  Each weekly spread also has a large blank space that is called “Space Of Infinite Possibility” which is pretty self explanatory!  Make lists, draw pictures, paste photos, write down quotes, take notes!  The space is yours and the possibilities are endless. 

6. Spare Keys
Sometimes you need a plan B.  And C.  And maybe even a plan D.  Sometimes you might hit a roadblock and your goal trip is just not going to work out the way you had originally mapped it out.  Sometimes a whole week or even an entire month will not go as planned.  Sometimes you might get locked out of your car and will get completely off schedule with your journey.  If this happens, and it most likely will at some point in your life, start again.  Pull out that spare set of keys, unlock the door, and get on your way.  Make the changes that you might need to make, remap your plan, but don’t give up on your passion!

Passion Planner Inspiration: The “Mid-Year Roadmap”
After the first 6 months of your journey through your Passion Planner, you will find a “Mid-Year Roadmap.”  This is the same map that you filled out at the beginning of your planner with your gamechanger goal that you chose to focus on with your planning.  With your second gamechanger you have the opportunity to recreate your goal based on what you have already accomplished, new goals that you would like to work towards, or changes that you might need to make in the plan.  You can tweak or alter your gamechanger, or create a new one!

 Your passion is a trip away!

You next goal trip is waiting!  Think about something you have always wanted to do, a place you have always wanted to visit or live, or simply a habit that you would like to add into your life.  Remember, it’s all about the journey!  No matter the outcome, make your trip memorable!

Live out loud,
Stephanie

If you would like to explore Passion Planner a little more and discover how it might help you with your goals and daily planning, I would encourage you to visit the Passion Planner website.  If you are a visual person like myself, check out their Instagram page to see Passion Planner in action!  Please feel free to use my promo code STEPHANIE10 for 10% off of your Passion Planner if you decide that you would like to start your next goal trip with the Pash Fam!

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