Plan in Pencil, Show Up in Purpose
- 12 minutes ago
- 3 min read
I've been in a long season of revision.
Basically, right now is a culmination of several years of transition coming to a close. You know when people announce on social media that they are now "Ashley 2.0"? Yeah, I feel like Candice 4.0 at this point. So it seems like a good time for my business to evolve just a bit. Not a new business, or a radical change, but an edited version.
Even though sometimes it may feel like it, you're never really starting from a blank page. Sure, sometimes we have the opportunity to make a fresh start, but we are making that fresh start from a place of knowledge and experience. We've been through some stuff, and that stuff comes along with us and shapes who we are.
That's why I love supporting people through transition. I support them through the big life milestones that we all recognize, as well as the more quiet, invisible ones, like a mindset shift, a new habit, healing. This will continue. I also have stepped into my chapter as a writer and author. I will not leave that behind and am currently working on my next two projects.
So what is changing?
The name of my business. I am embracing my life drafting philosophy fully by having my business name reflect my mindset and approach to coaching. It's not a marketing ploy or a gimmick. It's not a change to what you'll get when you work with me. It's simply a concrete match to my philosophy. It all supports Life Drafting.
Let's back up for a moment and talk about exactly what I mean when I say Life Drafting. I fully embrace the concept of casting a vision for where you want to go, including setting goals and creating habits and systems to support what you're aiming for. Where life drafting comes in is simple.
Plan in pencil.
I'm not suggesting that you throw away your vision and give up when it gets difficult. I don't encourage changing your mind every week to follow the next shiny object. I conduct an annual (and sometimes more frequent) check in—personally, and with my clients—to ensure we are still on the right path. Life Drafting asks you to be flexible. To remain curious. As we experience life we inevitably change and grow, and with that, our vision and goals might shift slightly.
And that's what it means to plan in pencil. Draft the future you want but remain flexible to edit and revise as you go.
Then comes purpose.
I don't suggest purpose as the trendy, catch-all "find your purpose" phrase. It's a bigger ask than that. The purpose I am referring to is more of "who do I need to be to move through this next chapter." In order to find that, I take my clients through a process of identifying the values they need to embody.
For example, last year I was completing my book. I needed to embody diligence, be open to creativity and be all-in to create the discipline I needed to plan, write, and edit my book. I needed to show up and do the work. Now, in this current chapter, I am embracing peace, authenticity, and abundance. Same me, same vision, different needs.
Because the values that got you through your last chapter aren't always the ones that'll carry you through this one. So plan in pencil. And show up as the person that plan requires—even when who that person needs to be keeps getting revised too.
If you're in one of those in-between spaces right now—holding two things that both feel true—the Your Life. . . in Draft worksheet is a good place to start sorting through it. It's a free set of reflective prompts and a small, doable next step, designed for exactly this kind of moment.