Life project: what is it and what are its most important elements?

We explain how to elaborate a life project and its crucial aspects.

All of us must face, at some point in our lives, situations that pose an adaptive challenge. Such moments may seem fragmented, separated by the interlude of everyday life.

However, a closer look shows us the invisible ties that hold them together in a broad and congruent panorama, which is the very experience of being in the world. This unspoken relationship gives meaning to the personal project that each of us draws for our own existence, as a guiding thread that mobilizes our efforts and endows each act with a transcendent value.

In this article we will talk about what is the life project.This is understood as the flexible script that each of us foresees for the time we have available, and that results in the congruence between what we are and what we do.

• Recommended article: "I don't know what to do with my life: 6 strategies to have a great future".

What is a life project

A life project can be defined as a fundamental plan for the existence of a person's life.. In its elaboration a series of variables must be considered, such as needs or objectives, that can coincide or not with the expectations that the environment deposited on us. A life project is a work in permanent construction that follows a certain continuity, but adapted to the situation of each moment.

Life projects mobilize action and position it in a particular direction based on meaningful goals, integrating values with legitimate personal aspirations. It stands as a process that does not adhere to a static sequence, but extends over the years and harbors a clear intention or purpose. It is a path fraught with satisfaction, but also allows for the possibility of stumbling.

Why a life plan is important

A life plan is essential, first of all, because it is aimed at the most basic it addresses one of the most basic human needs: self-fulfillment.. This process prioritizes what is important over what is accessory, identifying the decisions that give meaning to the way we live. This distinction is made in the context of a clear plan of action, which dilutes the ambiguity to which the general upheaval of the environment exposes us.

Life projects also contribute to the construction of identity, since a person is to a large extent what he/she devotes his/her time to (his/her actions). Through this analysis we can determine which actions are congruent with a deeper sense of who we are, rather than erratically engaging in a myriad of activities that have no connection to our values or needs.

Likewise, life projects enhance the so-called intrinsic motivationwhich keeps our efforts independent of external incentives (economic, social or otherwise). Since it allows us to determine which purposes are meaningful to us in the long term, we are much less likely to give in to boredom when obstacles arise that prevent or hinder their immediate achievement.

Finally, the life project allows us to equip ourselves with greater self-knowledge, since its design implies a careful exploration of the how and the why. This search, which has an important introspective component, often goes unnoticed by people who get involved in an overflowing accumulation of actions that alienate them from themselves. Viktor Frankl labeled the discomfort that arises in this circumstance as noogenic depression, that is, emotional anxiety in the face of the loss of meaning.

We will now delve into the basic aspects on which a life project should be based.

What are its fundamental aspects?

We propose five fundamental elements for the design of a life project, the analysis of which must be carried out in parallel: reality, needs, objectives, values and application. All of them are interconnected and should not be understood as independent realities.

1. What is my reality at this moment?

Although the coordinates of the life project may suggest that it is located at some point in the future, the truth is that it must be based on the reality of the present as it is. This reality is the foundation from which all of its basic dimensions must be considered.. Otherwise, we can get lost in the incompatibility between what we wish to achieve and the objective framework in which we find ourselves.

One of the characteristics of life is that it is subject to incessant, sometimes unpredictable changes, so it is not logical to think that a plan of action can always be implemented in the same way in which it was originally conceived. Physical resources, the people who accompany us, and even what we are in our inner selves, are subject to the perennial flow in which all things move. Change, then, is the only constant.

Our personal life project must be indissolubly connected to the moment before which it unfolds, assuming nuances over time but always maintaining its essence. This purpose must be another part of our identity, and just as our identity varies without losing sight of who we really are, so must our purpose. It is flexible, but resilient. Despite the vagaries of change, it will always make sense.

2. What are my needs?

Identifying one's needs is a difficult process because we have often come to confuse our needs with those of others.because we have often come to confuse them with what are really desires. Although it may seem that the difference between one and the other is only a grammatical matter, failure to fulfill each of them has different consequences: if a need is not satisfied, we fall into despair, while if a desire is prevented, the emotion will be more easily managed (annoyance, for example).

The most basic needs of human beings are physiological and those that provide us with security, since both are essential for survival. From this point we can find those of affiliation, through which we strengthen ties with people that allow us to find a social space for development. Finally, at the very top of the pyramid that Maslow himself conceived, we find those that are unique to our species: satisfaction and self-fulfillment (both linked to an adequate life plan).

Detecting needs implies recognizing what is really peremptory to satisfy any of these dimensions, since otherwise it would only be a desire. The ability to discriminate between the two is key, as it avoids introducing illusory goals for our life, which take up a lot of time and do not produce satisfaction.

3. What are my objectives?

An objective is a goal that we consider personally important, according to the current situation and perceived needs.. It is common that objectives are not defined in a precise way, so that desirable results are projected but the actions that will facilitate their achievement (or the tools to be provided) are unknown. Clearly identifying what we want to achieve is the first step to act accordingly.

Another problem we may encounter is the construction of objectives that are too big, which will require excessive time or effort, thus assuming a high risk of giving up in our attempt to achieve them. The most effective thing to do in these cases is to break down the objective into achievable short-term steps, so that each advance brings us closer to the ultimate goal, and so that we obtain periodic reinforcements and increase the feeling of self-efficacy (belief that I am capable of achieving it).

4. What are my values?

Values constitute the positioning that the person assumes on key aspects of his or her life, and whose weight is much greater than that of the individual.Their weight is much greater than that which can be attributed to opinion. Values are embedded in many areas of daily life, and are one of the most basic reasons why people make a solid and lasting commitment. Thus, an analysis of our deepest convictions will allow us to outline a life plan that is consistent with them, which will bring a sense of congruence.

When people do something that goes against their values, cognitive dissonance occurs: a difficult confrontation between what we consider right and the way we act, which can lead to guilt and distress. It is not uncommon for people who act in opposition to their values to feel really bad about it, leading to a sense of loss in the medium and long term.

This is often due to the assumption of values that are not really our own, nor do we experience them as if they were, but have been imposed by third parties during our individual development. In this case, it is possible that the direction of our life meets the demands of the social environment, while our own are painfully overshadowed. It is not easy to detect this circumstance, which is often experienced as a kind of existential void.

5. How can I proceed?

When all the preceding steps have been clarified, the person is in a better position to draw up a suitable life plan, which must have the following fundamental characteristics: it must be respectful of the current state of affairs, cover real needs, be made up of attainable achievements and coincide with our values. With all this, we will be ready not only to design it, but also to implement it.

Any life plan is made up of small things, the cumulative effect of which is theThe cumulative effect of these small things is what leads us to the great deeds, which appear on the horizon as a resolvable promise. It is important to persist in our efforts and to be flexible in the face of changes that arise, since a project of this magnitude is subject to the evolving needs of each stage of the life cycle.

Finally, it is also important to learn to give up. Life is subject to encounters, reencounters and losses; and all of them must be integrated into the pentagram on which it runs. Giving up what hurts us, or what prevents us from moving forward, can be as difficult as finding what makes us happy.