Written by: Vince Morales, Senior Level Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Like most good stories, the best place to start is the beginning. If you are interested in leading a more strategic life, you need to grasp the very basics. Let’s break down what a strategic life is and why it can be such a powerful tool in our lives.
“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking.” – William Butler Yeats
What Is a strategy?
Strategy - (strat·e·gy) A plan of action or policy designed to achieve a major or overall aim – Oxford’s English Dictionary
You can’t get much simpler than this definition from Google. That one sentence sums it up well, though. At its most basic, a strategy is a plan to achieve something. And while that is 100% true, it doesn’t quite capture the spirit of the word.
You must dig a little deeper to get a more accurate definition. If you go back far enough, you can trace the origins of the term strategy to the military. Both the Greek and French used their version of the term to describe “actions of a General.” While that is a bit of a loose translation, it does help to frame the term strategy a little more. You don’t have to go back into the past to recognize the roots of the term. Even to this day, Merriam-Webster has the following definition on their website:
The science and art of military command exercised to meet the enemy in combat under advantageous conditions.
If you take the above military roots and combine it with the Google definition, you get a more nuanced takeaway. Yes, a strategy is a plan, but it’s more than that. It’s a plan you create, knowing there will be other forces and obstacles that might get in your way. Can you see how this definition could relate to your life? If not, don’t worry because that brings us to our next point.
Now that you know what a strategy is, how does it apply to your life?
In one sense, it is obvious. Having a plan is clearly a positive step in life. And while you may not be a General in a war, you will face many battles in your life, so proper preparation is necessary. The Merriam-Webster definition is “meet the enemy in combat under advantageous conditions.” Ideally, this is what your life strategy provides. You create the right conditions in your life to prepare for meeting the inevitable obstacles and bumps in your path.
“Here is a very simple strategy of life: When the train arrives at the station, be at the station!”― Mehmet Murat ildan
Our definition of a life strategy
A life strategy is a plan you plot to achieve the life you want while creating advantageous conditions that will help you overcome any obstacles that come your way.
A Life Strategy Provides:
Guidance
Motivation
Preparation
Chance for Reflection
Ability to Adjust
Way to Measure Progress
For many of you reading, the benefits of all the above are obvious, but If you still can’t see why a life strategy is so important, don’t worry, I got you.
Your life without strategy
A life without strategic planning doesn’t necessarily have to be negative. A lot of people do well without any sort of planning. Most people probably don’t even think much about strategy and how it applies to their lives.
This is too bad because no matter how fortunate you are, not having a strategic plan could lead to many issues:
You Might Never Define Your Core Values – Unless you sit down and think seriously about your core values, you likely don’t think much about them. It might not affect your life much, but having core values can guide you in difficult times.
You Might Direct Your Energy to the Wrong Places – If you don’t have a plan and goals you are working towards, how do you know where to direct your energy? You might be working your butt off in areas of your life where that effort isn’t being rewarded. You might be neglecting areas of your life where a little extra energy could be life-changing.
You Will be Blindsided By Obstacles – If you aren’t actively planning on dealing with obstacles in your life, you might not be prepared when they hit. Worse yet, you might be unequipped to deal with them. With a bit of foresight, what might have been easily avoided now becomes a serious issue that knocks you back.
Hard to Track Your Progress – If you aren’t actively working towards concrete goals, how can you measure your life progress? When you don’t have a strategy, it’s hard to know how much you have achieved.
Extraordinary Lives Don’t Just Happen – If you have ever dreamt of doing or achieving the extraordinary, you should know that this rarely happens out of the blue. People who don’t have a strategic plan usually don’t create the kind of exceptional lives they dream about.
You Might Not Even Know What You Want – If you don’t sit down and define exactly what you want out of life, how will you ever know? I’m sure you are sitting there thinking, “Oh yeah, I know what I want,” but how well could you describe it if someone asked you right now? Would you feel on the spot at all?
You May Be Living for Other People – What if all the work you are doing is just benefitting someone else? If you aren’t following your life plan, who’s plan are you following? It doesn’t seem fair that all your efforts benefit a bunch of people you might not even know.
You Don’t Take Time to Learn from Your Mistakes – Having a life strategy requires you to adjust your sails regularly. If you aren’t taking stock of where you are or what’s working or not, you will hurt your progress. Regularly reflecting on your mistakes and adjusting your plans accordingly is a key part of a life strategy.
Your life with strategy
On the other hand, a life with strategy will address many of the issues above. On top of that, it provides some benefits you might not expect. Inviting more strategy into your life will provide you with powerful benefits such as (but not limited to):
Gives You a Competitive Edge – All other variables equal; someone who lives a strategic life holds a competitive edge over their peers. While everything isn’t a contest, you will often be vying for others regarding things like jobs or promotions. It can’t hurt to have any type of edge in these scenarios.
You Know What You Stand For – When you create your life strategy, you will define your core values. Knowing these core values provides you a guiding light in your life. When you are doing any task, you can ask yourself if it aligns with your core values. If it doesn’t, you will feel more comfortable moving on to something else.
You Know What You Want – Equally important to know what you stand for is knowing what you want. A big part of a more strategized life is defining the things you want to achieve and acquire. Knowing these things is important because this provides you another guiding light that can keep you on track.
You Know What Works – An important aspect of a more strategic life is recognizing what is working in your life. When you focus on the things that work, you learn what you should double down on. Imagine you spent 80% of your time only o things that progress you towards your goals?
You Know What Doesn’t Work – Just as important as knowing what works is knowing what doesn’t. You could even argue that this is more important because you waste your time spending it on things that don’t work. A strategized life encourages you to figure out what isn’t working continually and then avoid it.
You Live Your Life on Your Terms – When you have a life strategy, everything you do is propelling you towards your goals – not someone else’s. You know who you are working for, why you are doing it, and if it doesn’t fit your idea of your perfect life, you can move on.
You Are Prepared for Obstacles – How often have you been blissfully cruising through life, and then BAM, you are hit with an obstacle you didn’t see coming. It throws everything into chaos. If you have a life strategy, you plan for these kinds of obstacles. Even if something unexpected hits you, you will have the coping skills to navigate it to the best of your abilities.
You Know Where to Direct Your Time and Energy – We only have so much time and energy in our lives. If you want to achieve your best results, you need to spend that time and energy wisely. When you create your strategic life, you will know exactly where and when you should direct your max efforts.
You Are More Comfortable with Change – Many people aren’t comfortable with change. When you live a strategic life, you learn to embrace it. You know change is going to happen, so you plan for it. Change won’t be something to fear. It will become an opportunity to take advantage of.
You Won’t Lose Focus on What’s Important – So often in our lives, we work towards something before something else grabs our attention. We leave so many goals or tasks undone because something new and flashy caught our eye. When you have a life strategy, you don’t lose focus on the big picture.
It’s Easy to Track Your Progress – When you lead a strategic life, you create goals and deadlines. These goals and deadlines make it simple to track your progress. You can monitor how close you are to your goals, plus you know if you are reaching deadlines or not.
“When thinking about what to do next with your life, don’t ask yourself what you would succeed at, but what you would most enjoy failing at.”― Clifford Cohen
Introducing strategy to your life
At this point, you are likely sold on the idea of living a more strategic life. The benefits are clear. You have a good idea of what happens when you don’t have a life strategy, and you know what happens when you do.
The facts are the facts. If you want to achieve more and boost your life’s results, you need to inject some strategy into your life. It’s OK if you are feeling overwhelmed, but don’t worry – leading a more strategic life is easier than you think. Need help? Don’t hesitate to reach out to me at vmorales@validuscoaching.com and let’s discuss if we are a good coaching fit and let’s have a conversation to see how I can serve your coaching needs.
For more info, follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and visit my website!
Vince Morales, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Vince Morales is a mindset, self-image, and resilience coach. In addition, he is skilled in leadership consultation and development. From April 2016 to June 2017, Vince was a homeless veteran in San Diego, CA. While homeless, he made a powerful decision to change his thinking and mindset, launching into life coaching. He developed a niche for resilience and mindset coaching. The growth of his business ultimately led to the end of his homelessness. Vince is the Founder of Validus Coaching & Consulting, formerly Zoe Transformation. His story has been featured in online articles and online news outlets all over the U.S. He is a certified John Maxwell Team Coach, Trainer, & Speaker, as well as a motivational speaker. In 2021, Vince earned his Master's degree in Psychology of Leadership from Penn State University and is currently a doctoral student pursuing a Ph.D. in Performance Psychology. He is a 2020 inductee into The National Society of Leadership and Success.
