Living Forward
5.0
12 min

Living Forward

by Michael Hyatt, Daniel Harkavy

Brief Summary

“Living Forward” lays out a strategy for defining your life priorities and implementing them into reality. This book explains the importance of the Life Plan and why you should create it as soon as possible. It also helps you realize your most important goals.

Key points

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Key idea 1 of 7

We can compare our life to the sea. We often don’t know where the waves may take us and what situations we will face. Unpredictable and even dangerous events can happen at any age, whether you are twenty or sixty.

When we imagine life after fifty, we usually think of it as a quiet period with more time to get to know ourselves and the world around us. However, the truth is that even at this age, we can face unforeseen situations. Our health can deteriorate dramatically, our careers can fall apart, and our marriages can end in divorce. We are not immune to drifting through the waves of life.

There are several reasons why people become victims of such drift. First, it happens when we are unaware of the problems we may face. Many of us grew up with false ideas about our health, work, relationships, and life in general. Due to false ideas, we can be going down the wrong path for years. For example, we are sure that our health depends only on our physical state and forget that our mental state is also essential. As a result, neglecting your emotional state and refusing to seek professional help when needed can lead to many illnesses and low levels of happiness.

The second cause of drift is distraction. We may have many crucial areas of life: work, marriage, children, health, social life — you name it. Let's say you decided to fully devote yourself to work and focus on career growth. At the same time, you began to devote much less time to your health and no longer go on dates with your significant other. You start to neglect these spheres.

Third, it happens when we are too overwhelmed. In this case, we may not even notice how all areas of our lives suffer. The reason for this is just a lack of time. Well, the last reason for drifting is deception. It sounds like a paradox, but as Henry Ford said, it doesn't matter if we believe in ourselves or not — we are right either way. What we believe happens to us. That's why, to prevent drifting, you shouldn't passively go with the flow but instead take control of your life. A good tool for this is a *Life Plan*.

Let’s look at Sarah’s example. She had longed to make a difference through her work but settled for a secure job. Discovering "Living Forward" sparked a realization in her. She decided to create her life plan, seeking guidance and clarity. This process led her to start a non-profit for underprivileged children, fulfilling her passion for educational equality. Sarah's story highlights the transformative power of living intentionally and having a clear vision for the future.

01
A Life Plan is a great tool to take your life under control and avoid drifts
02
Create a Life Plan to define and achieve life priorities
03
To determine your life goals, think about your legacy
04
Creating a list of Life Accounts will help you understand your priorities
05
Block the whole day in your calendar to write the Life Plan
06
Triaging, scheduling, and saying no are crucial to managing your priorities
07
Final summary

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