1 Essential Lifestyle Planning The following pages are a collection of easy to use exercises that will help you to help others get to know you. Please follow the instructions on each page to write down the information that will help develop your plan for supports. You are the most important person in this process. Most professional plans have been done "for" people. This plan is designed to have you leading the process and others working with you. Thank you in advance for taking the time to help us get to know you better. 06/04/12

2 Relationship Map: Learning who to talk to and thinking about what you value in others? The easiest way to learn who to talk to is to do a simple relationship map. On the following page, you will find one to complete. You will notice that the circle is divided into four parts: –Family - people who are related you –Home and supports - paid or unpaid people, who are not family, who provide support to you at home or in the community –Friends - people that you see as friends (who are not listed under home or in the community) –Work/School - paid or unpaid people who provide support wherever you spends your days At the center of the circle, write your name. In the next circle write the names of those people closest to you. Remember that these may or may not include those who spend the most time with you, they are the people that you feel closest to (those whom you love; good friends). Put those people who you feel somewhat less close to in the next circle (friends, people you care about). On the outside put those people who are acquaintances, or relatives that you do not feel close to. Paid staff may be in any of these circles. Ask yourself how you feel about them. Please note that although some people have multiple roles (e.g. they are friends and are paid to provide support) they should only be listed once. The purpose of the map is to have a quick way of looking at relationships and to help you with who you should talk to (who should contribute to the plan) and for you to help others understand what types of people you like to be around.

3 Family Home and Other Paid Supports Work/Day Services/ School Friends and Non-paid Relationships ________

4 Great things about you What are some great things about you? What do people like or admire about you? What are some things you are good at? proud of? What are some nice things that people say about you? These are important things to think about when you are figuring out the kinds of supports and services you might need. Ask these questions of people that have demonstrated they really care about you.

5 What things do you like to do? What things do you like to do at home? at work? at program? at college? for fun? around town? on vacation? What kind of music do you like? What kind of movies? What kind of food? How about hobbies?

6 What things do you dislike? What are things that bug you? Where you live? Where you spend time during the day? around town? on vacation? at home? at school?

7 What would make a perfect weekday for you? from the time you get up until bedtime? What makes for an awful weekday? Who is in it? What happens when everything goes right? What happens when everything goes wrong? A great weekday would be A bad weekday would be Your weekday

8 What would make a perfect weekend day for you? from the time you get up until bedtime? What makes for an awful weekend day? Who is in it? What happens when everything goes right? What happens when everything goes wrong? A great weekend day would beA bad weekend day would be Your weekend day

9 Do you have any specific things that need to be done in the morning, after work, before bedtime? Are certain holiday activities important to you? Other rituals? Positive Rituals

11 ________ does this We think it means Please take a moment to reflect on the different ways the person you help support communicates. Are there facial expressions, sounds, movements or behaviors that he/she uses to communicate certain things? And we should What is happening Communication

HopesFears If you had the unlimited power, authority and money, describe how you would use it to create the best life possible. Also, what are the things you most fear that get in the way of the life you want?

13 Many people have found that keeping a running list of any questions that come to mind (while you are developing your plan) is very helpful. Using the space below is one way to keep track. Some of the most common ways for people to use this list are; as a reminder list (e.g. dont forget to ask... ), as a place to write down things that you dont understand, where you need more information, and as a place to note things that you are struggling with, where you may have written something but you are not satisfied. Things to Figure Out