How To Reach Your Planet B
Bud / 
48 Comments / 
February 1st, 2010 / 
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I recently had the amazing opportunity to travel to Las Vegas to attend Steve Pavlina’s Conscious Growth Workshop. Spending a weekend with a 100 people who were passionate about growth was a fantastic experience. Those who have read Steve’s blog know that he can be a bit controversial at times, however I felt the workshop helped me tremendously in terms of my own growth and self development.
I’d like to share with you an analogy that Steve explained during the workshop that helps clarify both your current situation and the place in life that you would like to be.
Planet A vs Planet B
The analogy is fairly simple. Planet A is where you are now, and Planet B is where you want to go. Do you want to have better relationships in your life? Do you want to experience financial abundance? Do you want to be surrounded with people who want to see you at your best? Think of Planet B as your ideal life. Getting from planet A to Planet B does involve a fair amount of effort but is certainty possible no matter where you might be.
Where Are You Now?
Right now you’re inhabiting Planet A, and Planet B is your ultimate goal. It’s essential that you take full responsibility for where you are right at this current moment. Is your life filled with people who bring you down? You own your planet A, after all you created it. Become aware of the the areas of your life that you’re not currently satisfied with. Are you overweight? Do you struggle financially? What can you do to change that? If you’re currently content with where you are great, simply look for ways to continue to improve.
Before you can even think about reaching your planet B you must accept where you are now. This isn’t always the easiest thing to do but you can’t change your reality before being perfectly clear about where you are now. Depending on where you currently are, your Planet B may seem far away, but I assure you it’s a destination within your reach.
Accepting your current reality rather than succumbing to falsehood and denial will accelerate your journey to Planet B. The longer you remain stuck in denial the longer you remain rooted in the confines of Planet A.
What’s Your Planet B?
Once you come to terms with your Planet A, then it’s time to begin thinking about where you want to go. Again, you could be very content with where you are now, however I believe there is always room for improvement. Keep in mind that, your planet B doesn’t have to be a completely new version of your reality.
Perhaps you currently enjoy extreme financial abundance and are just looking to improve your health. That’s fine. Look to improve any area of your life that you deem fit. You don’t have to take off from Planet A unless it makes sense for you. I personally find journaling to be a wonderful tool to help me discover which areas I need to work on. For example, my current planet B involves creating more authentic relationships in my life. In order for me to do this however, I’m going need to expand my current social circle and reach outside my comfort zone.
Regardless of which areas in your life you’re hoping to improve, it’s important to have clarity of where you want to go. While it’s possible to wind up on your Planet B by random chance, this path of action is highly inefficient. Knowing where you want to go will help make the journey go a bit more smoothly. That isn’t to say there won’t be detours, as there will always some unexpected turbulence, but having a general idea of where you’re going greatly enhances the enjoyment of your trip and chance of future success.
Creating Your Rocket Ship
Now that you have an idea of both where you are and where you want to be it’s time for you to begin creating your rocket ship. Your rocket ship is what’s going to get you from your Planet A to your Planet B.
Here are some key components:
Relationships: One of the largest parts of your rocket ship lies in the relationships in which you have. In order to successfully launch off of Planet A you must have a social network that will help you reach your goals. Unfortunately, it may be necessary to alter your current relationships. Do you surround yourself with people who bring you down? Or do you surround yourself with people who want the best for you and humanity? Realize that your relationships can either accelerate your journey or keep you tethered to Planet A.
Motivation: In order to break the gravity of Planet A you first must have enough motivation to get you into space. Motivation is essential in reaching your Planet B. Fuel your motivation by reading inspirational books and blogs as well as hanging out with people who inspire you. Reading this blog for example is a step in the right direction. ;)
Clarity: As mentioned earlier, clarity is very important for your space journey. While you can stumble around and eventually reach your destination, it’s much more efficient to have a clear but the more you have the easier your journey will be.
Desire: Do you really want to reach your Planet B? Or are you simply projecting what others want for you? Once you take off your rocket is fueled by desire. You won’t reach your planet B unless you have an intense desire to do so. Your journey will have hiccups, but your hunger will help overcome any road blocks you might hit. Make sure that you have clear intentions before you attempt to launch into orbit.
Blast Off
Most people go through their entire lives not knowing what their Planet B looks like, and consequently remain stuck in the safety of Planet A. Some know where they want to be yet lack the courage to take the necessary steps to reach it. Planet B, however is why we are here and what we live for. Throughout your lifetime you will travel to hundreds of planets (figuratively speaking of course) all of which help make you live the life you know you were meant to live.
Do you think the human race was ‘accidentally’ able to land on the moon? Of course not. Humanity reached the moon because we had the desire to do so. Believe it or not, you also have the ability to reach your own ‘moon’.
Traveling from planet to planet is no doubt a scary process but it is a process each and everyone of us must face. Your space travel may consist of high’s and low’s but you must always remember to enjoy the journey. Regardless of your current situation you always have the power to create the reality that you desire. You have the power to leave Planet A whenever you decide to do so.
Stop waiting for your life to magically change overnight. Blast off and reach for your Planet B.
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Great post Bud, I like this comparison of planet A vs planet B.
Thanks man. I’m just getting warmed up
Do you know what your planet B is Oscar?
Hey,
thanks for this nice reminder. As an attendant to first the Steve Pavlina workshop this article raised some very nice memories. It’s certainly a very powerful analogy.
Thanks for stopping by Dragos! I’d love to hear your thoughts on the first one! Check your email within the next few hours
Great stuff Bud .. makes so much sense. I think for me I am bit lazy sometimes about visualising or sitting down and really thinking about what I want from Planet B (although I am realising recently I really need to do this to get where I want to be especially in relation to my blog). I also really liked this part:
“In order to successfully launch off of Planet A you must have a social network that will help you reach your goals.” – so true!
Thanks for stopping by Jen. Figuring out where you want to go does take time but is in my opinion well worth the effort. Why waste time wandering around when you can consciously choose the life you wish to have?
Interested to hear where your planet B’s are
Hey Bud – you’re absolutely right. I popped back to let you know my main Planet B … I want to have my own business empowering others through coaching and writing (at the moment … maybe in other ways in time). I’ve always wanted to do work that really means something to me and that i am passionate about. Funnily enough I reassessed this the other day and I am actually doing really well with this goal….I have nearly cut my hours in half and am consistently doing coaching work now which is awesome. I want to develop the online side of things as well. Planet B for me then is to have a thriving business online and offline that I am passionate about that makes a tangible difference in others lives. Thanks Bud! I haven’t really put this out there properly before now!
Sounds great Jen! Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.
Hey Bud
Well explained mate. This was one of the few things about CGW that I considered
a) really easy to understand
b) really worthwhile playing with
You gots to be focussed on your planet B!
Otherwise… well, life will be a bit crap.
Sweet.
Thanks man. Still gonna get back to you so we can continue our discussion.
Great comparison.Integration is part of the job
Insightful post. Most people want to be on Planet B, but Planet A is comfortable. Humans are creatures of habits. I remembered when I moved from Ohio to Arizona. Some of my family members were shocked that I would want to leave my mom and sister. They couldn’t imagine living in another state. Not me. I needed a change and use technology. I communicate with mom and sister via email and phone. I am ready to go to the next level. This means I may have to say goodbye to some people in my life. So be it. If you’re not on board with where I want to go then it’s time for you to leave. That’s my philosophy.
Welcome to Planet B! Enjoy!
Hey Bud,
Cool to hear about your experience at the workshop. Would you say that it was worth the amount you paid to attend?
Good question man. Even though the 4 day weekend cost me 1000+ I have to say it was worth it. I got to see Vegas, hang out with a bunch of amazing people, see the musical the lion king, and network.
Great post Bud!
Keep it up
/Jonas
Thanks Jonas. Hope all is well mate.
Planet B has a whole new world of living. Blast off time
. I’d be interested in hearing more in-depth about your workshop experience too.
This is a wonderful post Bud because the concept is simple and easily digestible. I think that there is one other area that should be addressed when journeying from Planet A to Planet B because what often prevents people from literally and figuratively “taking off” is the story that they are telling themselves as to why this is not possible. I recently wrote about this concept (http://www.jaredyellin.com/2010/01/has-a-cycle-been-passed-from-generations-ago/) because I believe people are provided with a cycle from generations ago. The result is living a pre-conditioned life where we believe that we are not worthy enough to reach Planet B and in turn we never even try. Someone who is looking to lose weight might tell themselves the same story over and over about how they are genetically obese. Or someone who is attempting to gain financial abundance may tell themselves the same story about how they did not come from money resulting in limited opportunities. Due to the fact that neither of these “stories” has a scientific basis as it foundation, I am going to take a stance at proclaim that it is our EPIGENTICS that is preventing us from getting to PLANET B. These are our learned behaviors and our self limiting beliefs. In order to live a life of fulfillment we cannot take small steps forward, and we most certainly cannot take steps backwards, but instead we must TAKE OFF to where we want to go and what we want to achieve.
Great work Bud!
Hey Jared. I absolutely agree. Everyday we tell ourselves all kinds of lies just to keep ourselves comfortable on Planet A. One of my favorite techniques to overcome our stories is something I learned from Dr. Wayne Dyer.
Whenever you’re attempting to do something you think might be difficult ask yourself one question ” Am I 100 percent sure?” For example if you’re overweight and want to lose a few pounds you would say ” Am I 100 percent certain the journey will be difficult?” Because no one is 100 percent certain of anything there’s at least a one percent chance that it may be easy or at the very least not difficult. So choose that thought
Our story is out of date. Blast off and write a new one.
The comparison of Planet A vs Planet B is fantastic. The component about the rocket ship reminds me a lot of creating a Vision Board. Creating a Vision Board is a great way to clarify your goals. Here is a link from Christine Kane that explains the process:
http://christinekane.com/blog/how-to-make-a-vision-board/
There are even online versions:
http://www.mymasterboard.com/
http://lawofattractionvisionboard.com/
Best of luck to everyone on their path to Planet B!
Thanks for stopping by Linda.
Yeah great analogy. Then when we stay on Planet B were depressed and miserable. Planet B is happiness and growth. My mission is to land on Planet B. I will do it.
Omar.. Not sure if I’m following you. Did you mean to say you’re depressed on planet A? I believe in you man. Planet B here we come!
Great analogy.
I meet so many people or reconnect with old friends that always seem to be in the same place they were when I last saw them. I always want to shake them out of their comfort zone and tell them to seek out what you describe as their Planet B.
I’m not there yet (at my Planet B). Not sure I’m that close. But I know exactly what it looks like. And i left Planet A looooong ago.
I guess I’m somewhere in the middle, somewhere on the line that connects the two. And that is not such a bad place to be.
Hey man! Thanks for stopping by! And congrats on launching off from Planet A! You’re loads ahead of a lot of people! That’s something to be proud of!
Knowing what your Planet B looks like is an important first step in reaching it. I hope you land soon.
It’s a nice visual concept for describing change in people’s lives. Yet, the comparison itself shows how and why difficult change is.
1)Many people are not aware that other planets exist. Even if they do, they do not not know how to survive in them, because if you got from planet A to planet B, then you will have to adapt to a completely new environment.
2)Finding planet B and knowing where you are going is difficult on it’s own. You face uncertainty and possible “death” along the way. The change scares people.
3)The most difficult part is building the spaceship. It requires a lot of knowledge and expertise to build one. That is where most people stumble. They might be dreaming of planet B and are aware of planet A, but assembling the spaceship is what keeps them from moving. After all, it requires a lot of time, knowledge and dedication. And you might not even be able to finish it on time.
Just my interpretation of the space travel
Best,
Tomas
I really like this post, its so true and focusing on your goals & going with your passion… if you do those simple two things you will be successful.
That and action action action of course
Thanks for stopping by Maren.
Are you taking action?
Removed as per commenters request
Nice use of metaphors! I know what my planet B is and I’m on my way :p
Oh yeah? Where is your planet B man?
Nice post, but I found it all just a tad too obvious and generic.
Yes, I do important things now not later.
Yes, I need to focus on one thing at a time.
Yes, I need to have a goal thats clearly defined with measurable steps.
I’ve heard it all many a time.
Just correct the sentence: “Do you struggle finically?”. In the where are you now section.
Besides that. Love the post. Keep up the good work. How often will you post new articles?
Richard
It’s a fantastic analogy. You need the strength to pull through the first part and get out of the atmosphere but its easy sailing after that. It is exactly like installing a new 30 day habit.
I love 30 day trials! What are you doing now?
Nice, neat comparison. I’m still working out my goals, I always find difficult the visualization part. My problem is that I like so many thing at the same time that I cannot see myself as simply doing this or that. And money is sort of a “negative goal” for me (“not having economic problems”), which does not work very well. Maybe I need a whole alphabet of planets?
I consider journaling a very powerful tool, too. I wrote some hints on the issue in this post: http://www.zerebria.com/2010/01/06/magic-journaling/
Bud,
I like how you split up the present world and our goal worlds into Planets A and B. It made a lot of sense and makes it all seem “do-able”.
Great post. Hope to see more great content from you!
I like this analogy, although I have heard different versions of it before (such as swimming between different islands). But what happens if you leave Planet A and you get lost in space? That sounds almost scarier than being stuck on Planet A!
Hi Bud, nice analogy. It fits perfectly in my opinion. Like how a rocket ship needs enough fuel to launch into space, we need enough desire and motivation to get to where we want to go. Thanks for sharing this article; it made me see things in a different way.
Smashing article Bud, keep ‘em coming!
Thanks
Great post! One of the things I sometimes do is taking a piece op paper, write down on the top where I stand in a ceratain field, write at the bottom where I want to be. I divide the middle part in two vertical colums. On the left, I write what I have to do to get there by the means of brainstorming. On the right, I then put those things in the right order. That’s the part you can cut out and use as a ordered to-do list. Very often, a few small steps are easier to take than one big step.
Great post Bud. My planet B is located on the planet where they practice Cloud Living
And I’d like to get there before I’m 80. To quote Warren Buffet, “A few months ago I was talking to another MBA student, a very talented man, about 30 years old from a great school with a great resume. I asked him what he wanted to do for his career, and he replied that he wanted to go into a particular field, but thought he should work for McKinsey for a few years first to add to his resume. To me that’s like saving sex for your old age. It makes no sense.”
Great post, Bud. Using the Planet A / Planet B analogy is a smart way to make something such as changing your life easier to digest for most people.
While the idea makes sense, I think the biggest problem for most people (and I’ve been guilty of this myself) is being “too comfortable” with their current situation. They may think things are not TOO bad or changing some area of their life can wait. The sad part is they realize later in life things didn’t exactly go as they wanted because of this comfortable mindset.
Kudos on the excellent post, Bud!
Wesley Craig Green
My Planet B is a location independent lifestyle. I’ve been at it for awhile and I must say it’s not easy to achieve.
I will get there though.
Great post..But, what if the “to be” list of Planet B is too large ? Prioritizing the list during the Rocket Ship phase will make the journey safe..
Burak