In today’s fast-paced world, business leaders and entrepreneurs often find themselves caught in a whirlwind of responsibilities, struggling to balance professional success with personal fulfilment. The quest for this elusive equilibrium has led many to seek guidance from various sources, and one book that has emerged as a beacon of wisdom is “Living Forward: A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want” by Daniel Harkavy and Michael S. Hyatt. This comprehensive review will delve into the core principles of the book, exploring how its insights can transform the lives of business professionals and entrepreneurs, leading to both personal growth and business success.
Introduction to “Living Forward”
“Living Forward” is more than just another self-help book; it’s a practical guide that offers a systematic approach to life planning. Authors Daniel Harkavy, a successful executive coach, and Michael S. Hyatt, a leadership mentor and former CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, bring their wealth of experience to this transformative work. The book’s central premise is that by taking control of your life’s direction through intentional planning, you can achieve greater success in both your personal and professional spheres.
The Core Message: Proactive Life Design
At its heart, “Living Forward” advocates for a proactive approach to life. The authors argue that without a clear plan, we tend to drift through life, reacting to circumstances rather than shaping our own destinies. This reactive stance often leads to unfulfilled potential, missed opportunities, and a sense of disconnection between our daily actions and our long-term aspirations.
The book’s solution to this common predicament is the creation of a “life plan,” a comprehensive document that outlines your life’s priorities, goals, and the specific actions needed to achieve them. This life plan serves as a compass, guiding your decisions and ensuring that your daily activities align with your most important values and objectives.
Key Concepts in “Living Forward”
- The Drift
Harkavy and Hyatt introduce the concept of “the drift,” a state where life happens to us rather than for us. They argue that without intentional direction, we naturally drift away from our desired outcomes. Recognising and acknowledging this drift is the first step towards taking control of our lives.
- Life Planning
The core of the book revolves around the process of creating a life plan. This isn’t just about setting goals; it’s about deeply reflecting on what matters most to you and designing a life that reflects those priorities.
- Life Accounts
The authors introduce the idea of “life” accounts —different areas of life such as health, relationships, career, and finances. They emphasise the importance of maintaining a balance across these accounts to achieve overall life satisfaction.
- The Eulogy Exercise
One of the most powerful exercises in the book is writing your own eulogy. This thought-provoking activity forces you to consider your legacy and what you want to be remembered for, providing clarity on your life’s purpose.
- Quarterly Reviews
The book emphasises the importance of regularly reviewing and adjusting your life plan. Quarterly reviews ensure that your plan remains relevant and that you stay on track towards your goals.
The Life Planning Process
“Living Forward” outlines a step-by-step process for creating your life plan:
- Create awareness of your needs.
The first step is recognising the need for intentional life planning. This often comes from a sense of dissatisfaction with the status quo or a realisation that life is passing by without the achievement of important goals.
- Understand the benefits
Before diving into the planning process, it’s crucial to understand the benefits of having a life plan. These include greater clarity, increased confidence, improved decision-making, and a sense of peace knowing you’re on the right track.
- Set aside a day for planning.
The authors recommend dedicating an entire day to the initial creation of your life plan. This uninterrupted time allows for deep reflection and thorough planning.
- Acknowledge your current reality.
Before you can plan for the future, you need to honestly assess where you are now. This includes evaluating your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats across various life accounts.
- Prioritise your life accounts.
Identify the key areas of your life (e.g., health, relationships, career, finances) and prioritise them based on their importance to you.
- Articulate your vision for each account.
For each life account, describe your ideal future state. What does success look like in this area? Be as specific and vivid as possible.
- Identify specific commitments.
Based on your vision, determine the specific commitments you need to make to move towards your desired future in each life account.
- Implement your plan.
The final step is putting your plan into action. This involves integrating your commitments into your daily routine and regularly reviewing your progress.
Applying “Living Forward” to Business and Entrepreneurship
While “Living Forward” is primarily focused on personal life planning, its principles have profound implications for business leaders and entrepreneurs. Here’s how the book’s concepts can be applied to enhance business success:
- Strategic Vision for Your Business
Just as the book advocates for a personal life vision, business leaders can use this approach to create a compelling vision for their companies. This vision serves as a north star, guiding all business decisions and strategies.
- A Balanced Scorecard Approach
The concept of life accounts can be translated into a balanced scorecard approach for businesses. Instead of personal life areas, consider key business areas such as finance, customer satisfaction, internal processes, and learning and growth.
- Legacy-Driven Leadership
The eulogy exercise can be adapted to envision the legacy you want your business to leave. This can inform your company’s mission, values, and long-term strategies.
- Proactive business planning
The book’s emphasis on proactive planning rather than reactive drifting is crucial in business. Regular strategic planning sessions, inspired by the life planning process, can keep your business focused and agile.
- Holistic Success Metrics
“Living Forward” encourages a holistic view of success, which is valuable in business. Instead of focusing solely on financial metrics, consider how your business impacts employees, customers, the community, and the environment.
- Regular review and adaptation
The quarterly review process recommended in the book is equally important in business. Regular check-ins on your business strategy ensure you stay aligned with your vision and can adapt to changing market conditions.
- Work-Life Integration
For entrepreneurs, the book’s approach to life planning can help achieve better work-life integration. By considering both personal and professional goals in your life plan, you can create a more sustainable and fulfilling entrepreneurial journey.
Practical tools and exercises
“Living Forward” provides several practical tools and exercises to help readers create and implement their life plans:
- The Life Plan Template
The book includes a detailed template for creating your life plan. This structured format ensures you cover all essential aspects of your life and future goals.
- The Drift Diagnostic
This tool helps you assess how much you’re currently drifting in various areas of your life, motivating change.
- The Life Account Matrix
This exercise helps you identify and prioritise your different life accounts, ensuring you focus on what’s truly important.
- The Eulogy Writing Exercise
As mentioned earlier, this powerful exercise helps clarify your long-term vision and legacy.
- The Quarterly Review Checklist
This checklist guides you through regular reviews of your life plan, ensuring it remains relevant and actionable.
Criticisms and Limitations
While “Living Forward” offers valuable insights and a practical approach to life planning, it’s important to consider some potential limitations:
- Time Commitment
The process outlined in the book requires a significant time investment, which may be challenging for some busy professionals.
- Rigidity vs. flexibility
Some critics argue that the structured approach may not allow enough flexibility for life’s unpredictability.
- Cultural Considerations
The book’s approach is rooted in Western individualism and may not resonate as strongly with readers from more collectivist cultures.
- Oversimplification of Complex Issues
While the book provides a clear framework, some readers may find it oversimplifies complex life issues.
Implementing “Living Forward” in Your Life and Business
To truly benefit from the insights in “Living Forward,” it’s crucial to move beyond reading to implementation. Here are some strategies for putting the book’s principles into practice:
- Start with self-reflection.
Before diving into the life planning process, take time for deep self-reflection. Consider your values, passions, and long-term aspirations.
- Schedule your planning day.
Set aside a full day for creating your initial life plan. Choose a quiet, distraction-free environment where you can focus entirely on this important task.
- Involve key stakeholders.
If you’re applying these principles to your business, consider involving key team members in the planning process. Their input can provide valuable perspectives and increase buy-in for the resulting plan.
- Create Accountability
Share your life plan (or relevant parts of it) with a trusted friend, mentor, or coach. Regular check-ins with this accountability partner can help you stay on track.
- Integrate with Existing Systems
Look for ways to integrate your life plan commitments into your existing productivity systems. This might involve setting up recurring tasks in your to-do app or blocking time in your calendar for important activities.
- Practice Visualisation
Regularly visualise the future you’ve outlined in your life plan. This mental rehearsal can increase motivation and help you stay focused on your goals.
- Celebrate Progress
Acknowledge and celebrate the progress you make towards your life plan goals. This positive reinforcement can help maintain momentum over the long term.
- Be flexible and adaptive.
While following your life plan, remain open to new opportunities and be willing to adjust your plan as circumstances change.
Case Studies: Real-Life Applications of “Living Forward”
To illustrate the practical impact of “Living Forward,” let’s consider a few hypothetical case studies:
- The Overwhelmed Entrepreneur
Sarah, a tech startup founder, was struggling to balance the demands of her growing business with her personal life. After reading “Living Forward” and creating her life plan, she realised she had been neglecting her health and relationships. By prioritising these areas alongside her business goals, Sarah was able to create a more sustainable work routine, improve her physical health, and strengthen her personal relationships. This holistic approach ultimately led to increased productivity and creativity in her business.
- The mid-career professional
John, a marketing executive in his 40s, felt stuck in his career and unsure about his future direction. The life-planning process helped him clarify his values and long-term aspirations. He realised he wanted to transition into a role with more social impact. Over the next two years, guided by his life plan, John acquired new skills, built a network in the non-profit sector, and eventually landed a fulfilling role as a marketing director for a global charity.
- The Family Business Owner
Maria inherited her family’s restaurant business but felt torn between honouring her family’s legacy and pursuing her own passions. Through the life planning process, she was able to articulate a vision that integrated her family’s values with her own aspirations for the business. This led to a successful expansion of the restaurant, incorporating Maria’s interest in sustainable, farm-to-table cuisine.
The Science Behind Life Planning
While “Living Forward” is based on the authors’ personal experiences and observations, many of its principles are supported by psychological research.
- Goal-Setting Theory
The book’s emphasis on setting clear, specific goals aligns with decades of research on goal-setting theory, which suggests that well-defined goals lead to better performance.
- Self-Determination Theory
The focus on aligning actions with personal values resonates with self-determination theory, which posits that autonomy, competence, and relatedness are key to intrinsic motivation and well-being.
- Positive Psychology
The book’s approach to envisioning a positive future and building on strengths aligns with the principles of positive psychology, which focuses on cultivating happiness and well-being.
- Cognitive-behavioural therapy
The practice of identifying and challenging limiting beliefs, which is part of the life planning process, draws from cognitive-behavioural therapy techniques.
Conclusion: The Transformative Power of Intentional Living
“Living Forward: A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want” offers a compelling approach to taking control of your life and shaping your future. For business leaders and entrepreneurs, the principles outlined in this book provide a framework for achieving not just professional success but also personal fulfilment and a lasting legacy.
By encouraging readers to step back from the daily grind and engage in intentional life design, Harkavy and Hyatt offer a path to a more balanced, purposeful existence. The life-planning process they describe can serve as a powerful tool for aligning daily actions with long-term aspirations, both in business and in personal life.
However, it’s important to remember that creating a life plan is just the beginning. The real value comes from consistently implementing the plan, regularly reviewing and adjusting it, and maintaining the discipline to stay focused on your priorities even when faced with challenges and distractions.
As you embark on your own life planning journey, inspired by “Living Forward,” remember that the goal is not perfection but progress. Each step you take towards living with greater intention and purpose is a step towards a more fulfilling life and a more successful career.
Whether you’re a seasoned CEO, an ambitious startup founder, or a professional looking to make a meaningful career change, the insights from “Living Forward” can help you navigate your path with greater clarity and confidence. By taking charge of your life’s direction, you position yourself not just for success but for a life of significance and lasting impact.
In a world where it’s all too easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and lose sight of the bigger picture, “Living Forward” serves as a valuable reminder of the power of intentional living. It challenges us to dream bigger, plan smarter, and live more purposefully. For business leaders and entrepreneurs, this approach can be the key to not just building successful enterprises but also creating lives of genuine fulfilment and positive influence.
As you close this review and consider your next steps, ask yourself: Are you ready to stop drifting and start living forward? The journey to a more intentional, purposeful life awaits, and with the guidance offered in “Living Forward,” you have a powerful roadmap to help you along the way.