Preparing to be Relentless: My 2017 Planning

In 2012, I started planning my year. That was the year when I attended the “Make Your 2012 Your Best Year Ever” by Jomar Hilario. I found the session very helpful in terms of being clear of your goals for the year and deciding for the long-term (beyond one year), that I adopted the planning habit since then.

In the next years that passed, I did my planning in the comforts of my room. I would spend two to three days locked up, only going out to eat and check out what day it was. Jomar even featured one of my planning stories.

This year, I decided that my room have given me its perspective many times. It’s about time to get out of the house to plan my 2017.

And so, last week, I traveled further south and worked on my plans. I booked for an overnight stay in Balay Indang.

Hello, quiet. Let’s think more.

Guess what? I did not only plan outside my room this year. I brought my brother along to do his own planning, too! Exceptional, isn’t it?

Planning with my brother!

The place was full of greens and very quiet. Perfect for the mind stuff. It had a big space that I got to finish reading two books in many areas.

Read and plan, read and plan.

Another beautiful area in Balay Indang. Actually, everywhere is beautiful.

The food in Balay Indang were delicious (and A LOT, something that I did not expect). Perfect for planning because all you had to do was sit back and relax while eating.

Bon appétit!

No molestar. Estoy comiendo. (Do not disturb. I am eating.) #TeamTakotMagutom

I was blessed to have booked an overnight stay this time of the year, where most places are already fully booked. When we arrived in Balay Indang, it was only my brother and I who were there! There were more people the next day as it was a holiday, but it was okay.

Here are some tips that I could give you in planning your year:

1. Pray first!
2. It does not matter if you have a journal to write your plans or a MindMap on a laptop. Whichever works for you is best.
3. Plan for each area of your life – spiritual, emotional, work/career, financial, intellectual, family, and physical.
4. Quality is better than quantity. As you place a goal in each area of your life, ask if it’s doable within a year.
5. On each goal, break it down further to the how’s. For instance, if your goal is to become a virtual assistant in 2017, what should you do? List them down.

Some of my dreams need a lot of resources – tools, budget, even people. But I just placed them in my plans for next year. It was the same thing that I did the last few years – I wrote my goals without even knowing just how they are going to happen. The crazy things that I do, right?

But in one of Bo Sanchez’s  books that I read during the planning, “Life Manual 101: How to Make Your Dreams Come True”, he said, “Your resources are not enough. But give what you can. I (God) will cover the difference.” Okay, Bro. Bo, you got me teary-eyed there.

I read, you think. Deal?

Here’s the thing: I do my plans with fear. I always do. But I plan anyway.

Because I know that underneath those goals, God is going to work His way. Therefore, I will calmly do my work, too.

2017, I am going to be relentless. Remember that smile. 😉

2017, I am going to be relentless. Fasten your seatbelt.

Some photos courtesy of Marc Raphael A. Peñaredondo.

Balay Indang is located at #88 San Juan Street, Mahabang Kahoy Cerca, Indang Cavite. Visit their Facebook Page.