Needs

 

NEEDS.  What do you need to be successful?

 

Did you have fun with Valentine’s Day in February? I had a great time with my family.

Happy Spring!! Welcome back to a nice spring day with sunshine and wind - so windy. After the snow is gone and it gets a bit warmer you might feel like it’s springtime. And I am so excited for that season. Are you excited because you might get out for a walk? It is a good time to take your niece or nephew out to play.

 

I just celebrated my birthday in Philadelphia.  I went there to do a lot of presentations and visit my cousins.  I love birthdays!  My sister-in-law Abby and I celebrate our birthdays together every year and that makes it extra special.

 

In the last blog we talked about how to do a Future Search. It is always good to imagine what

things might look like for you in the future so you can make positive and possible plans that will help you get there. I am so excited to walk you through this process to design your life.

 

Today we are going to talk about another important step in your planning and that is thinking about what you need to be successful.  It is important to write down your needs in this person-centered planning process.  Once you know what you need to be successful you can write an action plan.  A need is something that you want in life.

 

When you think about needs, what comes to your mind?  Write them down.  When I think of my needs in my life, for example, I think of one of my dreams to become an author.  I need to find people to help me.  I need to get support from my parents to achieve that goal. I have already started to work on publishing my book called “LEARNING TO FLY WITH FULL WINGS”. I need my mother and sister to edit it for me.  I need to find out about how to publish it and that process.  First, I need to finish the book and add more to it before I move forward.

 

I think it is best to pick out a few of your dreams first.  Think about what you need to make that dream happen.  Think about who you need to connect with to make that happen. What are some real barriers that you are going to need help figuring out?  Transportation is a barrier for me and it might be the same for you.  I always have to think about how I am going to get where I am going and who do I need to find to help me with that.   The people who help us are our advocates.  Sometimes we have to ask them to help us and let them know what we plan to do.

Be creative and have courage when you are asking people to be your advocate. Advocates can help you find creative solutions and help you make plans.

 

Don’t let barriers discourage you.  Find people to help you brainstorm creative ideas and solutions.  Sometimes the barriers seem bigger than your dreams so don’t let that happen to you.  As I always say ~ Dwell in the Possibilities!!  Make plans based on YOUR dreams and not on fears.

 

Have a great month! Bridget