The Art of Life Mapping: Creating a Roadmap for Success

A map has a beginning point. Who you are right now may be traced back to your roots. When asked to introduce themselves, the majority of people would respond something along the lines of, “Hi, my name is Jean, and I am a senior in high school.” It does not teach you anything about who Jean is; all it does is tell you what Jean is focused on right now.

Aside from your economic, professional, cultural, and civic position, you need to examine your views, values, and principles in great detail in order to obtain insights about who you are as a person. In addition, you can gain valuable insights about your positive and negative characteristics, talents, and knowledge, as well as your strengths and shortcomings, by reflecting on the experiences you have had.

After giving it some thought, Jean came to the conclusion that she was extremely motivated, generous, and service-oriented; yet, she lacked patience. Her interests lay more in the biology and medical side of things. In addition, she was of the opinion that one’s life should be directed toward a certain goal, and that conflicts undermined human dignity.

A mental picture of the person you ultimately aspire to be is your destination.

“Who do you want to be?” is the question that represents your vision.

Now is the time to get to know yourself so that you may have a better concept of who you want to become and the aspects about yourself — whether they be attitudes, routines, or points of view — that you want to alter. It is essential that you do this.

If you do not know yourself very well, your goals and aspirations for the future will probably not be very obvious either. Your vacation spot need to cater to all facets of your being, including the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual facets respectively.

As we continue with Jean’s narrative, after she figured out what she believed, what she valued, and what her guiding principles were in life, she made the decision that she wanted to live a life devoted to helping the people around her.

Destination: A vision of who you want to be

You can go to your location with a vehicle as the mode of transportation. It is possible to compare it to the calling or vocation that you have chosen in your life. What you know about yourself will play a significant role in determining the success of your endeavor.

Jean came to the conclusion, after conducting an in-depth evaluation of herself, that she has the necessary skills to pursue a career in medicine and that she intended to do so.

Her vocation of choice was that of a medical doctor. To give a comprehensive account of her vision and mission, I will say that she desired to spend her entire life working as a physician in troubled regions of the world.

Your travel bag should consist of your knowledge, abilities, and attitude.

A bag holds all of the essentials for traveling, including food, drinks, medications, and other items. Putting this idea into practice within the context of your life map, you also bring with you a certain set of knowledge, abilities, and attitudes. These are what determine your level of skill and help you go closer to achieving your goals.

Given this, it is necessary for you to conduct an evaluation of the knowledge, abilities, and attitudes that you currently possess as well as those that you will need to acquire along the road. This two-pronged evaluation will shed light on the landmarks or standards by which you judge your level of achievement. Jean came to the conclusion that in order to pursue a career in medicine, she would need to acquire the specialized knowledge and abilities necessary in the field. She was aware that she could be impatient with other people, and as a result, she came to the conclusion that this was a trait of hers that she want to improve.

Objectives that are SMART, as well as Landmarks and Routes

Landmarks are used to verify that you are heading in the right direction, while the route itself decides how long the journey will take. Therefore, when you are planning out your life, it is necessary for you to have both landmarks and a route. Your level of accomplishment can be determined by reaching these significant markers.

These standards have to be definite, measurable, attainable, reasonable, and time-bound all at the same time. Due to the fact that a master’s degree must be completed in a minimum of two years, it is impossible to achieve two major goals within the same time frame, such as receiving a master’s degree and a doctorate degree during the same amount of time.

Going back to Jean as an example, she plotted the following milestones on her life map: earning a bachelor’s degree in biology by the age of 21; graduating from medical school by the age of 27; becoming board-certified in infectious diseases by the age of 30; beginning her career as a doctor in the public hospitals of their hometown by the age of 32; and working as a physician in conflict zones by the age of 35.

Be prepared for twists, detours, and holes in the road.

Your life map’s objective is to reduce the number of rash and spur-of-the-moment choices you make, which increases the likelihood that you may get lost along the route.

On the other hand, our plans are frequently altered along the way as a result of certain inconveniencies, delays, and other circumstances that are beyond our control. As is the case with any path, there are twists, detours, and holes; as a result, we are required to foresee these obstacles and make appropriate adjustments.