I remember absolutely hating the question, “What’s your 5 year plan?”  Why do I need to know what I’m doing in 5 years? If I look back at my life, not once would I have accurately predicted where I was going to be 5 years from then.  Life is surprising, we need to be adaptable and take opportunities when they arise… right?

I’m not saying that there isn’t room for spontaneity, but what I also learned about myself is that I didn’t want to commit to any of the paths I was on when I was asked that question.  I first realized this aversion in my early twenties when I considered the future of my long term relationship. I had a difficult time envisioning where my partner and I would be in 5 years, and I tried to convince myself that the anxiety I felt over this topic was completely normal. I next encountered this unwillingness when I considered my career as a project manager. I would refuse to think of what being a project manager in 5 years would actually be like. Yet, I considered myself to be “successful” by just going with the flow of what I already had, so why change anything.  

The truth of it was though, that while I was avoiding making plans for the next 5 years, I wasn’t being honest with myself about that avoidance.  I thought I did want to be in this relationship, even though it was better on paper than in reality. I thought that I was happy as a project manager, because I was getting feedback that I was good at it.  Wasn’t that enough? All of the boxes were checked, so why should I leave?  I’ve always known personal growth was important to me, but I wasn’t acknowledging that moderate anxiety and a regular lack of sleep wasn’t healthy. Isn’t that just normal in your 20s?

Over time, I recognized that I was hiding the truth from myself.  I was living a life that was fine, but not phenomenal.  I want phenomenal, amazing, courageous, bold.  It was time I decided what success was for just for me and start trusting myself.

It seems like an obvious concept, but ask yourself, how many aspects in your life are there intentionally?  Did you really, really want to be in that job or was it what happened to be available to you at the right time?  Are you at the level of health that you want to be, both physically and emotionally?  Are you satisfied with your relationship status or just complacent?

I’m willing to bet that most of us have areas where, instead of deciding the next step, have slid into what’s logical, what’s easy. And while things seem fine, you’re actually feeling just meh and are separated from the passion that makes you excited.

After getting clarity on what I truly wanted to do, the impact I wanted to make, and who I wanted to be, I changed things up.  First, I left that relationship.  Last year, I started my own business and created a vision for its future.  And lately I’ve been thinking about that 5 year plan again.  It’s no longer this scary thing that’s going to lock me into a life I don’t want.  Instead, it’s this amazing and motivating goal that I can’t wait to work on.  Something that I’m actually excited about.

Do you dread the 5 year plan like I did? Ready to stop sliding and start deciding? Let’s talk.  Let’s build an amazing future.