Starting Line

I feel that I've been getting distracted lately. Guess I've just been having too much fun, and the course work isn't conceptually engaging and stimulating enough for Elaine's brain (of course, this doesn't mean the subjects are not interesting to other people or interesting in general).

So I have decided that I should remind myself why I'm in school, why I made my decision in the first place, etc.. I feel like I'm kinda falling behind in the whole scheme of things. I've worked so hard to be here in this position, but I feel like I'm getting too comfortable. So I am now gonna do some work to get myself back on track.

The first thing to do is to remind me of my direction. I have realized lately that I want to get involved with strategic planning for a company. Afterwards, get involved in humanitarian work using the skills I developed.

So I looked it up. Here's Strategic Planning according to Wikipedia:

Strategic planning consists of the process of defining objectives and developing strategies to reach those objectives. By labelling a piece of planning "strategic" we expect it to operate on the grand scale and to take in "the big picture" (in contradistinction to "tactical" planning, which by definition has to focus more on the tactics of individual detailed activities). "Long range" planning typically projects current activities and programs into a revised view of the external world, thereby describing results that will most likely occur. "Strategic" planning tries to "create" more desirable future results by (a) influencing the outside world or (b) adapting current programs and actions so as to have more favorable outcomes in the external environment.

Within business, strategic planning may provide overall direction strategic management to a company or give specific direction in such areas as:

• Financial strategies
• Human resource/organizational development strategies
• Information technology deployments
• Marketing strategy

We want to do Strategic Planning to:

• Have the capability to obtain the desired objective
• Fit well both with the external environment and with an organization's resources and core competencies - it should appear feasible and appropriate
• Have the capability of providing an organization with a sustainable competitive advantage - ideally through uniqueness and sustainability
• Prove dynamic, flexible, and able to adapt to changing situations
• Suffice on its own - specifically providing favorable outcomes without the need for cross-subsidization

I WANT TO DO THAT. I want to make an impact on an organization when they need change. I pretty much just want to come up with ideas and tell people why they should do it and how. It's the big picture!! It's visiionary! How cool is that?? My field will definitely focus on sustainability and the socio-political environment.

It's kinda scary to think about it sometimes. It's scary to know that, after floating around for so long, I will eventually want to settle down. I will have a profession, I will invest in my own property, I might get married and even have kids -- or never, and stay single forever (hey, it's the "in" thing to do nowadays, I've heard)! Regardless, right now I am starting a new chapter in life for the projected 10 years in the future.

10 years ... that once sounded so far away.

I'm getting ready to run the distance. You with me?