Why the GAME Plan’s cycle matters more than the myth of arrival
Dwight D. Eisenhower famously said,
“Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”
He wasn’t dismissing planning — he was pointing to a truth we often miss: a fixed plan can break when reality changes, but the practice of planning builds the muscle we need to adapt, re-align and act with purpose.
That truth sits at the heart of the GAME Plan. People sometimes mistake the word plan for a one-off event — a destination to reach. Richard Barrett’s “Myth of Arrival” reminds us how seductive that idea is: we imagine a final shore where everything will be solved, then keep pursuing a new horizon when we arrive. The GAME Plan reframes arrival as rhythm, not endpoint. It’s a cyclical practice that turns aspiration into living architecture.
There is no arrival, only the deepening of presence.
You are not on your way to wholeness —
you are wholeness moving through form.
Rest in the knowing that every step,
every word, every breath
is already complete in its arising.
When you release the horizon,
the entire landscape comes alive.
You will see that the myth was never a trap —
it was a bridge,
guiding you to the place where bridges are no longer needed.
Why planning (not fixed plans) matters
When we plan we don’t create a brittle script — we cultivate capabilities. The act of planning delivers three interlocking benefits:
- Foresight — anticipating threats and opportunities so you see more alternatives sooner.
- Flexibility — building contingencies and mental agility so you can change course without losing direction.
- Preparedness — putting financial and human capital in place so you can act when opportunity or crisis arrives.
Those benefits are not hypothetical. They are the practical outcomes of cycling through Goals → Actions → Means → Execution — then repeating the cycle with new data, new context, and new courage.
The GAME Plan as a productive cycle
Think of the GAME Plan as a seasonal wheel rather than a map with a single destination:
- Goals — clarify your near-horizon future. Not a fairy-tale “arrival,” but a vivid, achievable next chapter (12–36 months).
- Actions — choose the smallest set of high-leverage moves that move you toward that chapter.
- Means — match resources to ambition: financial buffers, skills, networks, time and tools. This is where human capital matters as much—or more—than money.
- Execution — do the work, measure what matters, learn, and harvest momentum.
When you reach the end of the cycle you don’t stop. You reflect, update your horizon, and begin again — each iteration sharper, more resilient, and more aligned with who you are becoming.
Human capital: the overlooked architecture
Too often planning focuses on bank balances and investment returns while underweighting human capital — skills, reputation, energy, relationships and craft. The GAME Plan treats human capital as structural: the competence and connections you develop are the scaffolding that supports any financial plan. Invest in both and you create durable optionality.
Practical steps to make cyclic planning work for you
- Pick a near-horizon goal. Make it tangible, time-bound and emotionally real.
- Design one weekly action. Tiny consistent actions beat big, sporadic gestures.
- Audit your means quarterly. What skills, cash, contacts or systems are missing? Prioritise the top two.
- Run a short execution review. What worked? What surprised you? What needs rebalancing?
- Repeat intentionally. Use lessons from the prior cycle to raise foresight and resilience next time.
A short example
Goal: Move from a side-project to a £30k pa consulting stream in 18 months.
Actions:
- Deliver one paid pilot;
- publish three case-study videos;
- invite five warm referrals.
Means: Two days/month learning marketing; £1,500 buffer; mentor for monthly accountability.
Execution: Run pilot, collect feedback, iterate offer. At cycle end, recast the goal using what you learned.
Let go of the myth of arrival — but keep the rhythm
Barrett reminds us that there is no single arrival — only ongoing deepening. That doesn’t make planning pointless; it makes planning sacred. The GAME Plan is your practice: a disciplined, compassionate way to show up again and again — bringing foresight, flexibility and preparedness to life’s unfolding. Each cycle is both a step forward and a homecoming.
Call to action
If you want to put this into practice, start with one small experiment: choose a near-horizon goal, define one weekly action, and run a 12-week GAME Plan cycle. If you’d like, we can map that cycle into a Notion template and a simple human-capital audit to make it repeatable.
🚀 Take Back Control with The GAME Plan Notion Template™
Plan your life. Design your wealth.
The Done-By-You GAME Plan Report™ is a self-paced, fully guided Notion template that helps you design a meaningful, purpose-led life before you plan your money.
✨ Built on the Academy of Life Planning’s transformational GAME Plan Framework, this interactive toolkit takes you step by step through:
- Setting your Goals
- Mapping your Actions
- Aligning your Means (human + financial capital)
- Executing with confidence
Plus, you’ll get reflection tools, coaching prompts, a decision journal, and AI-powered business planning links — everything you need to keep the cycle alive.
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✅ Independent thinkers who want to be their own life planner
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💷 Price: £49 (one-time)
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No jargon. No products. Just your plan — done by you.
Academy of Life Planning 