Do you ever wonder what is next for you in your journey?

I do, in so many situations. Take for instance the journey of our home improvement project for our new house. During the first three weeks we worked on the house extensively ourselves. In week two the contractor started as well, and now we are entering a phase where a lot of plastering needs to be done by the plasterer. Every moment is an essential step in the journey of transforming this house into our new home. Of course there is also that massive list of things to do, many small items and some large ones that are projects by themselves. When working that list, the question often comes up: “What’s next?”

There are many other occasions where the “what’s next” question can come up. In your alliance project, in your career, or in other different situations. For the to-do list of our home improvement project, in many cases, it doesn’t really matter which task we pick first. They all need to be completed anyway. Some of these tasks depend on each other: then it does matter, one needs to be done before the other, and the next task on the list is clear. In business, however, you generally need to set your priorities a bit clearer. The next action is often already captured in a process. So the next step will be definite.

Will it? I picture the Alliance Lifecycle often more like a toolbox than as a rigid process: you pick the tool when you need it. However, the Lifecycle is also a guiding roadmap. It is more useful to go from step 1 to step 2 to step 3 and so on, rather than jump back and forth. So, again you pick the tool you need, when you need it.

Am I confusing you with this week’s column? Good! It is time to think — and to do that outside the box. There is no simple answer to the “what’s next” question in life. Disconnect your inner automatic pilot and get creative. Be bold, and ask yourself “what’s next?” Allow every answer possible, even the ones that you should not pursue according to the outside world. Get creative and be amazed.

What’s next for me? For the next few weeks it is our home improvement project, you probably already guessed that one. Business wise there are some other “what’s next” questions:

  • Will I continue with a weekly column or make it more irregular (what do you think?)
  • How many open enrolment Alliance Masterclasses will I organize in 2019 (and where)
  • What would be the best topic for a third book? (two in progress already)
  • Who will join me on one of the Camino journeys next year?

On a shorter term: what’s next for me this week? One of the following items on my list this week is to participate in the Alliance Conference in Amsterdam on Thursday and Friday. Are you attending? If so, let me know, and we can try to find some time to catch up! We can discuss for instance this question:

What’s next for you?