The Plan B Life

Redesigning your world when "Plan A" fails.

by Lisa Manterfield

Three Vital Ingredients for Change

My friend Melissa is a creativity coach who helps people to reclaim their creative selves. Recently she said something that really resonated with me with respect to making a making a mindset shift. (You can see a video of her talking about this here.)

She said that in her experience there are three vital ingredients for change. They are:

My own perceptions of a family had been shaped by the family I'd been born into. But when I looked around me, at the people I loved and whose company I chose to keep, I saw families of all types. Read More

The Two-Year Plan

I love to make plans. I love to set out the steps, sketch out a timeline, and fill in all the details. Then, inevitably, I jump right in because I'm too impatient to let my plan unfurl. But recently, I was introduced to the idea of the two-year plan. Read More

Out With the Old

It's mid-January already and my New Year hasn't yet begun. I feel as if I'm still spinning my wheels, playing catch-up, and going through the same old motions as last year. Sure, I've taken time to think about the coming year and I've set realistic goals, so why do I feel as if I'm still living in the same old year? Read More

Are You Living Someone Else's Dream?

The end of the year, once the holiday madness has died down, is always a good time for reflection. I love to look back over the past year, see what I've accomplished, and make note of what needs to change for the next year. It's also a time when I look at my goals and ask myself if they're really my goals, or if I'm trying to live someone else's dream.

Years ago I worked in banking. It was bonus time and part of my job was to calculate the managers' bonuses. I had a huge spreadsheet with all the goals used to assess performance and a separate sheet for each manager. It was after hours. I needed to finish the calculations and run them by the senior executive, my boss, for approval. Read More

Keeping an Eye on What's Important

Sometimes when we're trying to get our lives together, we lose track of what's important. We get so focused on our goals and tasks that we neglect the things that truly nurture us and give us the strength to keep going. Read More

Exceeding Expectations

So often we set expectations for ourselves and when they don't work out we lament our misfortune or beat ourselves up for not achieving what we set out to do. But I'm coming to believe that life isn't supposed to go as planned. And sometimes out of those disappointments come unexpected and pleasant surprises. Read More

Success and the Pressure to Perform

I was just a wannabe writer. But on publication day, everything changed. A higher expectation had been set for the quality of my work. And it was paralyzing. Read More

Keep It Simple

So often we get caught up in our own way of doing things that we don't even look up to see the obvious solutions. This is where a second set of eyes (or ears) comes in. Read More

Charting Your Success

My project list was overwhelming. I had a book proposal to finish and another idea vying for my attention. I had two blog projects that needed to be fed content and two deadline projects from the clients who provide my regular source of income. And the novel I've been working on for longer than I care to admit in public was crying out to be finished. Read More

Owning the Dream

Six years ago I quit my corporate marketing job to launch a career as a writer. I rolled over my 401K, said goodbye to my PPO, and took a part-time retail job to bridge the gap until I got my business up and running. It was a huge leap of faith, but I've never looked back. (Well, okay, maybe I've looked back once or twice, but I still know I made the right decision.) Read More

The People Solution (or Networking for the Rest of Us)

Does the idea of “networking” send you scurrying for the safety of your bed?

Thinking about your New Year's Resolutions now can help you set meaningful goals that you'll stay committed to long after January has come and gone. Here are some tips to help you consider your long-term goals now so you're ready to hit the ground running before the New Year's Eve champagne wears off. Read More

Changing "I Can't" to "I Can"

What can't you do? Do you have a health issue that prevents you from doing some of the things you once loved? Do you have obligations that prevent you from starting a new career? What's stopping you from getting what you want right now? A little attitude adjustment can turn "I can't" into "I can." Read More

Get Back on Track with a Half-Year Assessment

Does it sometimes feel as if you're spinning your wheels? You set ambitious goals in the New Year and now we're well into the second half of the year and those goals are starting to look way out of reach. Don't panic. What you need is a half-year assessment. Read More

The Next Hot Start-Up: You

As you launch your Plan B life, how do you take the first steps, stay motivated, and reach your goals? Thinking of yourself as an entrepreneur and your life as the "next big thing" can help you get creative and keep your plans on track. Read More

Finding the Silver Lining in Loss

When our lives don't go as planned, it's easy - and natural - to look at the downside and focus on all the things we've lost, but looking for the silver lining, in even the most devastating of cases, can help speed the healing process. Read More

Childhood Play: The Key to Finding Your Natural Gifts

“I can’t remember what I love to do anymore!” It’s the common cry of anyone who has spent time focusing on a goal and has lost track of what truly inspires them. Tapping childhood memories can help you discover forgotten passions and break open ideas for an exciting Plan B. Read More

Letting go of the dream

Goals and dreams are critical to keep us growing and improving. But what if letting go of the dream is the best thing you could do for yourself? Here’s how to tell when it’s time to fold ’em and set your sights on something else. Read More

Lisa Manterfield is the creator of LifeWithoutBaby.com and the author of I'm Taking My Eggs and Going Home: How One Woman Dared to Say No to Motherhood.

more...

About The Plan B Life

As Benjamin Franklin said, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." In fact the only other thing you can truly count on is that sooner or later, life is going to throw you a curve ball.Whether your dream was a marriage, a family, good health, or a dazzling career, what do you do when Plan A doesn't work out? In this blog, author, blogger, and speaker, Lisa Manterfield explores how to let go of your Plan A and move towards a fulfilling Plan B.