This is a comprehensive process and series to jump start or adjust course along the way. Following are the key ingredients of the recipe; how much time, energy, and focus are a function of where you are at and whether you are tackling this yourself or with some guidance:

 

• Define success

• Pitfalls of traditional retirement

• Advancement; who needs retirement

• Your life purpose; a personal vision statement

• Roadblocks to happiness

• Resources to guide you.

• Current state: evaluate on scale from 1 – 10(highest) whether the following are assets or liabilities, contribute to your well-being or detract, and tally net impact today.

• Family, friends, work, hobbies, faith, health, financial, other.

• Future state: Do the same for what you would like it to be and tally.

• Assess gap, put in place a plan to improve your personal assessment net worth and let’s review quarterly. Do an annual comprehensive assessment factoring in changes in life, status and attitudes.

Rate the following statements on a scale of 1 (Poor) to 5 (Best)

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You have a clear plan for succession in your company

If yes, it is completely clear to all those that need to know and will be affected

You have sufficient financial resources to leave your job, voluntarily or otherwise

You have a clear plan for your days when this sabbatical or retirement begins

You are leaving a job where you have a sense of accomplishment; and if so, you have a strong scorecard in the future

If you have a partner in your business and/or at home, they answer the questions similarly

You have looked at what your income will look like the next 25 years after your W-2 goes away

You are working hard now to save for something 25 years out

You and your family worked and invested to build a business with no plan to optimize its value in the future

You are doing now what you thought you would be, and are you loving it.

 

So, if you didn’t score a 5 on each of these, where do you start to get on track?

 

• Financial literacy?

• Crystallizing a shared vision with your partner?

• Bringing that vision to life?

• Finding the right people to run my business?

• What and how do I communicate this? 

• Will we have resources to do what we want?

• Should I begin developing my new scorecard? 

• Am I working for money or having money work for Family Mission Statement?

What are your guiding principles for a family mission statement? Check the boxes as you create your own version of these ideas!

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• Relentless hard work and purposeful execution

• Believe in each other, support and encourage

• Think big about what each can contribute and accomplish

• Responsibility to make the most of good fortune, blessings and skills

• Embrace challenges and adversity and know you can rise above it

• Manage risks and rewards – proven formula for success

• When you fail or fall short, retool and reload and aim high again

• Treat others with respect and live with integrity

• Cherish past, challenge future; build legacy

• Embrace our individual differences and optimize them

• The whole is greater than the sum of the parts

• Each day is a gift, approach it with gratitude

• Hold yourself and each other accountable; open, honest dialogue

• Care less what others think

• Form opinions based on fact and first hand observations

• What you have to say is important

• Listen to understand before speaking

• Live everyday with one eye on the future, making good choices

• Give yourself a break, don’t be too hard on self, keep guilt in check

• Find some faith, nurture it, draw peace and joy from it

• Be guided by inner compass not external social media direction

• Protect these treasures

• Celebrate success

• This is dynamic; create it, improve it, own it