Recommended Books

We are so obsessed with our dreams that we have forgotten how to obtain them. This exciting new e-book will show you how. "Here's my question to you: If you could find a resource that offered everything you ever wanted to know, on how and what you had to do to become happy and wealthy would you be interested? Well you have found it. If you're really interested in making a better life for yourself and your willing to learn and practice these simple principals then you have found what you are looking for. My method for obtaining the happiness and wealth you want can work for you." Mark Claridge's book is simply a "must have" for those who are serious about achieving their full potential. Everyone can benefit from using the techniques in this book. And, as a bonus, Mark also includes some very useful and relevant books for free. Click here to read more

Life Mapping: A Vision of Success

I must admit that when I first heard about 'life mapping' I was very skeptical. But the more I read about it, the more I could see the benefits of life mapping. And that's what I want to share with you in this article.

Success is more than economic gains, titles, and degrees. Planning for success is about mapping out all the aspects of your life. Similar to a map, you need to define the following details: origin, destination, vehicle, backpack, landmarks, and route.

Origin: Who you are

A map has a starting point. Your origin is who you are right now. Most people when asked to introduce themselves would say, “Hi, I’m Jean and I am a 17-year old, senior highschool student.” It does not tell you about who Jean is; it only tells you her present preoccupation. To gain insights about yourself, you need to look closely at your beliefs, values, and principles aside from your economic, professional, cultural, and civil status. Moreover, you can also reflect on your experiences to give you insights on your good and not-so-good traits, skills, knowledge, strengths, and weaknesses. Upon introspection, Jean realized that she was highly motivated, generous, service-oriented, but impatient. Her inclination was in the biological-medical field. Furthermore, she believed that life must serve a purpose, and that wars were destructive to human dignity.

Destination: A vision of who you want to be

“Who do want to be?” this is your vision. Now it is important that you know yourself so that you would have a clearer idea of who you want to be; and the things you want to change whether they are attitudes, habits, or points of view. If you hardly know yourself, then your vision and targets for the future would also be unclear. Your destination should cover all the aspects of your being: the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. Continuing Jean’s story, after she defined her beliefs, values, and principles in life, she decided that she wanted to have a life dedicated in serving her fellowmen.

Are you now beginning to see what a powerful tool 'life mapping' is? If you keep on working through my article, you'll be able to build up your own 'life map'

Vehicle: Your Mission

A vehicle is the means by which you can reach your destination. It can be analogized to your mission or vocation in life. To a great extent, your mission would depend on what you know about yourself. Bases on Jean’s self-assessment, she decided that she was suited to become a doctor, and that she wanted to become one. Her chosen vocation was a medical doctor. Describing her vision-mission fully: it was to live a life dedicated to serving her fellowmen as a doctor in conflict-areas.

Travel Bag: Your knowledge, skills, and attitude

Food, drinks, medicines, and other travelling necessities are contained in a bag. Applying this concept to your life map, you also bring with you certain knowledge, skills, and attitudes. These determine your competence and help you in attaining your vision. Given such, there is a need for you to assess what knowledge, skills, and attitudes you have at present and what you need to gain along the way. This two-fold assessment will give you insights on your landmarks or measures of success. Jean realized that she needed to gain professional knowledge and skills on medicine so that she could become a doctor. She knew that she was a bit impatient with people so she realized that this was something she wanted to change.

Landmarks and Route: S.M.A.R.T. objectives

Landmarks confirm if you are on the right track while the route determines the travel time. Thus, in planning out your life, you also need to have landmarks and a route. These landmarks are your measures of success. These measures must be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound. Thus you cannot set two major landmarks such as earning a master’s degree and a doctorate degree within a period of three years, since the minimum number of years to complete a master’s degree is two years. Going back to Jean as an example, she identified the following landmarks in her life map: completing a bachelor’s degree in biology by the age of 21; completing medicine by the age of 27; earning her specialization in infectious diseases by the age of 30; getting deployed in local public hospitals of their town by the age of 32; and serving as doctor in war-torn areas by the age of 35.

Anticipate Turns, Detours, and Potholes

The purpose of your life map is to minimize hasty and spur-of-the-moment decisions that can make you lose your way. But oftentimes our plans are modified along the way due to some inconveniences, delays, and other situations beyond our control. Like in any path, there are turns, detours, and potholes thus; we must anticipate them and adjust accordingly.

As I said at the start, I was originally skeptical about 'life mapping'. If you started reading this article in that frame of mind, I hope that I have convinced you or its benefits.

• Life mapping that's hard to decipher [Visual Art]
  
  by Julie Gross   The methodic tic-tock of a grandfather’s clock echoes throughout the room eventually colliding with a chorus of angelic voices that float overhead. This is only part of the sensory experience that artist/scientist/advocate Bill Wells presents at his exhibit “Spiritual Fluctuations: A Structure by Which the Art of One’s Life Can Be Experienced� in the Huff Gallery at Spalding ...
  


• Mapping the Human Brain Sheds Light on Autism
  
  VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA-- - Canadian researchers are leading the way in the search for the cause of autism, a condition affecting about one in every 200 people in Canada. The Canada Foundation for ...
  


• China examines Google's mapping request
  
  Beijing, Feb 2 : Chinese authorities are examining an application from Google for an online mapping licence, the Shanghai Daily reported Thursday.
  


• Mapping the universe for possible signs of life
  
  Researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington are helping scientists figure out where to look for life forms in space.
  


• Curing Cancer Relies on Genome Mapping With DNA Evidence Guiding Treatment
  
  Kristal James, a medical technician in suburban Dallas, spent more than a year fighting rapidly spreading breast cancer that looked like it might take her life. As doctors raced to save her, they decided to sequence her tumor’s genome.
  


• Proton promises us $1,000 genome mapping by year end
  
  At CES, Life Technologies' Ion Torrent unveils a benchtop device that by year-end should decode a full human genome in one day for $1,000.
  


• Roche Is Seen Offering Illumina More for Gene Mapping: Real M&A
  
  Roche Holding AG (ROG) may need to raise its $5.7 billion bid for Illumina Inc. by the most of any North American takeover to gain access to its gene-mapping technology, according to arbitragers who bet on mergers and acquisitions.
  


• Life Tech, Illumina unveil one-day genomes
  
  The companies say their genetic sequencers can map a person’s genome within a day.
  


• Mapping The DNA - Mobile Apps For Sports
  
  Be it a Cricket Match, a Soccer Game, a Formula-1 race, or a game of Tennis doubles; today’s fast paced generation wants to be the first to be informed about any ongoing event of interest – watching it LIVE is the call of the day.
  


• Roche Seen Offering Illumina More for Gene Mapping: Real M&A
  
  Roche Holding AG may need to raise its $5.7 billion bid for Illumina Inc. by the most of any North American takeover to gain access to its gene-mapping technology, according to arbitragers who bet on mergers and acquisitions.