You know what I’m talking about. The kind of projects or initiatives with timelines, meeting after meeting about project deadlines, etc. How can you use a work environment framework to plan for when you are not working? Use a one-year framework.
What does this look like? How and why would you do this? The "what" and the "how" are listed below and divided into two groups – those that cost a little more and those that cost a little less. Why would you do this? Because it’s fun. It's memorable. It allows you to experience life.
So, let’s focus on the first part – the what and the how. I want you to focus all of your energy on completing something that could be meaningful to you or maybe just fun. Do everything else that needs to be done during the year (family vacations, visiting friends, laundry, yard work, etc.), but have one singular focus that you can plan out over the next 12 months.
The next step is to figure out the idea or initiative that you want to do for one year. Here are some ideas:
Let’s first talk about budget-friendly ideas:
1. Drive to and hike in every state park in North Carolina. How many are there? 41. Here's a website that lists all 41 - https://www.ourstate.com/a-guide-to-north-carolinas-41-state-parks/
2. Charlotte and North Carolina have become tiny meccas for breweries. Why don’t you try visiting each one on the weekend? Sample a craft brew, take some notes about each brewery, and then write a blog post about it.
3. Take classes at a local community college for a year. Learn something new and stretch your mind. Be a student again on a subject you never got to explore.
4. Try cooking a new meal once per week. How many foodie websites are there? Make it special. Light a candle. Open a bottle of wine. Make it worth remembering.
Now let’s talk about some ideas that cost a little more money:
1. Like golf? Try playing a different golf course every week for a year. Try playing as many golf courses in Myrtle Beach as possible. Arrive early. Hit the range and the putting green. Get your 18 holes in and then visit the 19th hole for a beverage. Buy an item to remember your experience and take a picture of you and the folks you played with. Post it online or send it to the family.
2. Learn a foreign language for a few months and then book a vacation in that country or area. Stay for more than a week – try 14 days and take your time to visit local hangouts to see how good your language skills are. Do this twice this year – visit Germany and Italy, for example.
3. Take a long weekend each month to the same state for a year – such as Georgia or Tennessee. Visit the big cities and smaller ones too and learn about the state's history and geography. Attend a sporting event and visit their most touristy travel spots. You might find a new vacation getaway.
4. Follow your favorite sports team and attend their away games for the season. Travel with fans of your team. Or try visiting every major league baseball park. That’s an undertaking and a lot of 7th inning stretches!
So. Create a list of ideas. Settle on one main focus or idea. Plan out the year. Get a map. Look at the calendar. Do a Google search. Plot the first few dates of your activity. Make it a monthly agenda item for yourself to have coffee and review where you went, what you did, and where you will go. Put all of this project stuff from your past to good use! Ask yourself this: Would you ever forget the year that you visited all 41 State Parks? Would you ever forget the year that you spent a dozen long weekends in Charleston?
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Alex Bishop, CRPC®, MS, is a Private Wealth Advisor and Franchise Owner with Bishop Financial Partners, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC in Huntersville, NC. He specializes in fee-based financial planning and asset management strategies and has been in practice for 22 years. To contact him, www.ameripriseadvisors.com/alex.h.bishop, 704.896.9985. The views expressed here reflect the views of Alex Bishop as of March 7, 2023. These views may change as market or other conditions change. Actual investments or investment decisions made by Ameriprise Financial and its affiliates, whether for its own account or on behalf of clients, will not necessarily reflect the views expressed. This information is not intended to provide investment advice and does not account for individual investor circumstances. Investment products are not insured by the FDIC, NCUA or any federal agency, are not deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed by any financial institution, and involve investment risks including possible loss of principal and fluctuation in value. Investment advisory products and services are made available through Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC, a registered investment adviser.
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