“You only have one life, why not make it a great life story!”  

Hi, thank you for visiting my page, I really do appreciate it!  The fact that you are here means you want to learn more about who I am, so I will try not to be a waste of your time, I know we only have so much of it and it goes by very quickly.

First of all, I am not any self proclaimed “guru” of any kind.  Who I am is a man that has gone through many different life challenges, like many of you.  They have tested my faith, brought tears to my eyes and made me question many things.  But those life difficulties, emotions and now memories, have made me into the man I am today.  I might call myself average, but I do not believe any of us are average.  We have all been uniquely made and blessed with special gifts and opportunities that only we have or may ever posses.  So no, I am not average and neither are you.

I have always been a positive glass more than half full type of guy and someone that believes that we always have many choices, options and open doorways in front of us.  However, it is up to us to see them, recognize them for what they are and then choose to walk through them.  There is an old saying about when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.  I believe this, but also believe in having a strategic plan where you are not surprised by receiving the lemons, but have seen them coming, are prepared to process and convert them into lemonade following a plan you developed on how to handle them.  There is another saying about only two things being certain in you life, death and taxes; I would add a third, during some point in your life story, life will give you some lemons and will have to make lemonade, meaning, make the best of things.  If you learn to plan on how best to handle the bad as well as how to maximize the good, your life story can improve dramatically and even be great!

I am a planner, a creative strategic thinker, someone who’s mind is always absorbing what I see around me, enjoying it for what it is and considering how it might be improved on and made better for all.  I have always enjoyed the creation process.  From designing a back yard with many pathways and places to sit and enjoy the gardens, plants and animals to building a financial spreadsheet loaded with assumptions and “what if” scenarios in a business.  Over the past years, I have used my own unique abilities and experiences to develop the company called LifeLongU™ and the “Strategy For Your Life™” program around the “Steering Wheel of Life™, to hopefully, help as many people as I can to have the greatest life story they can possibly have. 

I never set out with a plan to develop this company or any such programs.  It all begin In 2008, when I was simply trying to understand how I could have got myself into those current set of circumstances I was in at that time.  My marriage of over 22 years was falling apart, our family had stopped going to the church, and my mother-in-law had developed terminal cancer.   I was not happy in my current corporate job, as my ambition was to start and run my own business (if you’re an entrepreneur, you most certainly will understand that strong desire).  All this at the same time, together was very overwhelming.  

My unique nature is also very analytical and as I mentioned earlier, am always looking to make things better—so I dug into finding out what went wrong and of course, where I could improve.  I ended up summarizing my life into six areas and looking at each separately: my career, financial overview, relationships, spiritual side, my overall lifestyle and philanthropy activities.  Several things were very apparent right away—I was spending far to much time in some of these areas, while others were getting very little attention at all—I was really out of balance.  Something else I noticed—I really didn’t have any focus with what I was trying to do or what I wanted from my life.  Although I set goals, I was not creating any plans of action to get them done and not holding myself accountable for doing them.  I also felt really overwhelmed by life at this time and wanted to take back control and get things back on track—but how?

As they say, “necessity is the mother of invention”.  I really needed to develop a life plan and put it into practice.  I wanted a strategic plan that would basically break down my life into different areas, but also look at each from a perspective of what I wanted to feel, see, do, have, know and be.  I didn’t find anything that fit my needs in the market place, so I decided to create one—I needed to for my own sanity.   That is how the Steering Wheel of Life™ and later, the Strategy For Your Life™ program came into being.

Every single one of us has a life story to tell; part of which you have already lived in your past and hopefully, the best part to come in your future.  Telling your life story and getting it down in writing is important, however, creating and living your future story is what we at LifeLongU™ are really aiming to help you accomplish.

The LifeLongU™ Strategy For Your Life™ program has many hours of work which have gone into making this program strategic with a strong foundation for you to build on and yet be easy to follow along.  The full program helps you think about your past history, current circumstances today and your future desires and goals of tomorrow.  Exploring your own options while considering new possible directions all while creating, documenting and building a life plan for yourself to use as your guide, to live your life’s story more closely in line the way you want it to go.  Understanding who you are, what your current situation is, where you want to go in your future and how you get there are all things you need to know.  How to pull it all together while staying motivated, accountable and making things happen is also important and should be part of your life story strategy.  Having progress now and feeling satisfied and content later on, with few regrets, is also very important. 

Writing down and accomplishing your goals and plans is only part of a life planning program like this.  Planning your journey, communicating your planned life story to your loved ones, staying somewhat in balance and using coaches, mentors and advisers to help when and wherever necessary.  Everyone should have a written plan for their life at some level.  Plans that are written down are much more likely to succeed.  Writing down your life plan tells a story of what you are working towards.  A written down plan gives you a real path to follow, specific for you, created by you and will increase the probability of you accomplishing those goals you want for yourself.  It helps you see your life’s purpose, envision your future and if accomplished, becomes your life story. Once written down, it can be shared with your loved ones and acts as a great communication tool between couples as well as a legacy of your wisdom left for your children on how you lived a great life.

We all know life will happen to you without doing anything at all, right?  However, being able to live your life story more of your own choosing is a decision that is made by you.  Others can help, but it is your responsibility to use all your God given abilities and blessings, your uniqueness, to it’s fullest extent.  Towards the end of your life, although you may not realize it yet, you will hold yourself responsible for the many things you did and didn’t do and you may have some regrets.  So make your life plan the best story you can now, then go and live it!

Just imagine, you are so close to actually having this plan for your life, something to guide you toward a future you really want for yourself.  You are so close to telling your own story, living your own plans and leaving your life regrets behind.  Your time is now and how many days or years are yet to come, nobody truly knows, but plan and use them wisely!

For me, I am also working on my own life story.  By planning first, then working the plan, I feel confident I will have done all I can to give it a fantastic ending!  I hope you are able to do the same!

Thank you for your time!

Gary