Making a ‘life map’ can help you appreciate the past and plan for the future

By Nanci Dixon
For anyone who has a “rest of their lives,” i.e., those of us still above ground, a life map is a momentous way to reflect on the past and plan for the future. A reflection and a plan, no matter what life stage one is at.

Article on making a life map

I was rambling through emails and recommended reads while yet again delaying getting down to work to write another Campground Crowding article. A headline on establishing a “life map” by looking at the past, present, and future caught my eye. An audible groan escaped my lips. I grew up in a corporation with so many “yeah, rah-rah” workshops that sounded very similar. Required workshops promise a better way to work, enhance life goals, work-life balance, and the hidden agenda of improving the bottom line.

Old habits die hard and, in spite of myself, I clicked on the article. Much to my surprise, there was a lot of useful information and multiple ways to chart out future plans. Even putting thought into future plans at a point when so many of our dreams and future plans have been met was an incentive to get out of this “too old for a midlife crisis” funk. This planning our trust, wills, and all the necessary preparing for incapacity or death funk.

Options for making a life map

I looked at all the options presented for making a life map and tried the “Wheel of Life” first. Nope. Cutting my life into pie pieces started me thinking about peanut butter ice cream pie. Mmm…

Here’s the article, if you want to follow along.

Timeline map

I then went to the “Timeline Map” with much more success. I drew a line horizontally and divided it into three parts: past, present and future. I started in the past and drew vertical lines with major activities and accomplishments. I deviated from the article instructions by placing the line based on fulfillment.

The past

For example, being a food photographer and studio manager was well above the horizontal line, but managing within a corporate environment was well below. I also reflected on people and places that impacted my life significantly. My husband, kids, and grandkids placed high on the past and present timeline.

The present

The present also went above and below the midway horizontal line. It was easy to see what was working and what was not. This also let me see what I needed to work on. Perhaps fewer Little Debbie Oatmeal Cookies and more walking should be practiced…

The future

Then the future, the part that feels so nebulous, so hazy, so vague. Turns out it was easier than I thought. I still have goals and can see them by what I have loved in the past and what we are doing now. There is a bucket list after all: Calgary Stampede, travel but make it easier, take a watercolor class, make the effort to stay in touch with friends and, best of all, go back to food photography, even if it’s just for me. (Read more about my future dreams here.)

Worth the effort

It was well worth the effort and I, once again, can see that there can be a future to plan at any stage of life.

Here is a link to the full article on making a life map.

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