When I was training to run a marathon in my early 20s, hitting the 13-mile mark was cause for celebration. I had never run that distance and wasn’t sure I could.
Reaching that goal and knowing that the marathon was within reach was exhilarating. While I typically ran 3-4 miles several times a week, my decision to run a marathon came from my desire to raise awareness and funding for cancer in honor of my grandmother, who had died from Leukemia when I was 5. I didn’t have many memories of my grandmother, but I knew what an impact she made on so many in her life, most notably my father.
Unfortunately, shortly after celebrating my 13-mile run, I became ill, and my dreams of completing my first marathon would never be met.
Fast forward 30 years, and I’m happily back at mile 13. No, I’m not training for another marathon. If you read my posts, you know walking a few miles can be difficult sometimes, so why am I back at Mile 13?
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Mile 13
For me, Mile 13 is a point in time when you stop to celebrate an accomplishment. Today, I’m celebrating how I’ve rebuilt my life from the ground up over many years.
Anyone can do it.
No matter where you are in life, I know there are elements you’d like to change.
I’m also sure some part of your life deserves to be celebrated.
You’ve overcome an obstacle.
You accomplished a goal.
You learned to accept yourself.
Years ago, I was facing a crisis on many fronts. I was ill, unable to work, and had endured a difficult divorce; my son was sick, and no one could help him. I struggled to make sense of my life and the uncertainty that filled it.
I was scared.
I needed a plan.
The Odyssey Plan
The Odyssey Plan was created by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, Stanford Design School professors and authors of Designing Your Life. If you’ve never heard of an Odyssey Plan, think about it as a vision of how you’d like your life to look in five years.
The premise that they teach asks you to answer the following questions.
What would your life look like five years from now if you continued down your current path?
What would your life look like five years from now if you took a completely different path?
What would your life look like five years from now if money, social obligations, and what people would think were irrelevant?
When I began to consider my plan, I needed to overhaul my life: my health and my son’s health were the priority, but I needed to think about the type of work I would do when I could and the kind of life I would live.
Maybe you’re questioning your career path or a relationship. Perhaps you’re considering a move. Regardless of the area of your life, you want to change, an Odyssey Plan can be the first step in realizing where you want to go and how you’ll get there.
Have you asked yourself, “What do I want to do with the rest of my life?”
I’ve asked this question many times during the past decade. And it’s led me to make significant changes in my life.
The course is laid out for you if you’ve taken a traditional career path, such as a teacher, nurse, doctor, or accountant. But it can be challenging to figure out what comes next if you’re like many who don’t know what they want to do or what makes them happy.
The basic idea of an Odyssey Plan is to reframe the approach to creating a personal 5-year plan in a more interactive manner.
For each of the three questions, the goal is to sketch out accurate details of:
the timeline
the journey
the end state
Ask yourself:
What are you doing?
Where are you living?
Who are you spending time with?
How are you feeling day-to-day?
You can start at the surface level and go deeper as you work through the process.
The Odyssey Plan is particularly meaningful during transition points in your life. The times when you reach a crossroad, and you’re not sure which direction to go.
By examining the details through a different lens, the picture you see may be one you have never viewed before.
It was for me.
By asking the questions proposed by The Odyssey Plan, I knew my corporate life and working 60+ hours a week was not feasible given my chronic health condition and my new status as a single parent.
I needed flexibility and control over my time and my efforts. I also needed to care about how I spent my time. I needed to make a difference in the lives of those around me, and I wanted to share what I had learned with those who could benefit.
Determining my why led me to map out the path forward.
I began by writing daily in my journal, outlining the objectives and the goals in small steps.
I would get back to writing and share my experiences with others.
I would advocate for those who were unable to do so.
I would obtain my real estate license, start my own business, and create something that mattered to those I worked with.
When I reflect on that time, the steps seem linear and straightforward, but they were anything but. It’s only been a few years since things really began to fall into place, but I knew along the way where I was headed would look completely different than where I had come from. And that’s exactly what I hoped for.
When I stumbled, I revisited how I answered the questions posed by the Odyssey Plan. I revised the approach when my health dictated a change, but I focused on what was ahead.
I slowly and deliberately rebuilt my life from the ground up to the place I’m celebrating today. My life is not perfect by any means, but it’s perfect for me today.
I’m not done changing, but I’ve come a long way.
I’ve learned to accept my limitations and imperfections while celebrating my strength, resilience, and power.
You can do the same.
I invite you to try an Odyssey Plan and see where it leads you.
You may cross Mile 13 before you know it.
I’d love to hear if you’ve tried this approach in the past or if you’re willing to do so. Please drop a comment below and let me know your experience.
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I am getting close to mile 13... it is about staying in the race. Great reminders Tracy, will save this article to read again & again