One of the things we see happen with local government is the creation of a master plan. The plan will lay out where development is to take place and what kind. It will anticipate the growth of the community, and therefore the nature of services that will be required. Zoning provisions will follow the master plan, and eventually so will easements, if they require the condemnation of personal property in order to satisfy the greater needs of the community. The goal is a prosperous, safe, and healthy city.
Developers and real estate investors will first consult the master plan before considering investing or building. Often money is made in real estate by converting the zoning on a piece of, say, rural property destined to become commercial according to the master plan. In short, the master plan is more than a plan per se’, it also represents great opportunity for those who pay attention to their community and its needs.
Do you have a master plan? I have often wondered why so many people stop in their planning once they finish their schooling. Their master plan takes them through the level of education they seek, and typically ends with, “Then I will get a job as a _________________ and go to work or begin my career.”
Imagine a city with a plan like this. The plan would suggest the basics, water, sewer, sanitation, police, fire, etc. But once these things were in place, the plan ended. In fact, there are examples of this in the world. Cities have often sprung up without a plan. Trailer parks, auto sales, porno shops, tattoo parlors, residences and the like fill the same general area without a designation for zoning differences, and then a school may be built on the same street as well. The result is a mess and a costly redrawing of the city finally through a master plan is undertaken. Knowing this, why is it that we may fail as individuals to create our own personal master plans?
A personal master plan should include the joy side of life. What makes you happy? What provides that warm fuzzy feeling that informs you your life makes a difference? What activity or action or set of actions can be employed to assist in your personal inner growth? The master plan also must anticipate such things as changes in earning opportunities, re-education or continuing education, potential career changes, alternative goals, and so forth. Then, instead of, say, waiting for something to upset the apple cart, like a layoff at work, you are preparing for these contingencies as you proceed through life. You do that by staying apace technology, keeping up with trends and training yourself to be flexible, acquiring additional skills, having a hobby that may be turned into a vocation is one such example. Of course your master plan calls for saving for that rainy day, educating your children, and various unpleasant “what if” scenarios.
As you can see, a personal master plan is much more than investment counseling or life insurance. It anticipates success rather than loss and plans for continued growth — growth in skills necessary for prosperity and growth in realizing your own full potential. The overall purpose of your personal master plan is to ensure that you remain balanced and at peace with yourself while pursuing your ambitions and realizing your true potential.
If you do not yet have a personal master plan, I urge you take some time and develop one. It’s never too late. Begin today so that all of your tomorrows hold the potential of filling your life with your dreams come true.
Thanks for the read and all the very best to you,
Eldon Taylor
Provocative Enlightenment
NY Time Bestselling Author of Choices and Illusions
www.eldontaylor.com