I think you should skip the 5 Year Plan, and here’s why:
5 year plans can help you imagine the future, but they can also keep you stuck pursuing outdated goals with outdated methods.
Every 5 year plan I’ve had has been a disaster. The one I created at 21 as a college graduate? Totally disintegrated after the events of 9/11 and a subsequent cross-country move. The one I created at 25 as a newlywed? Absolutely decimated by cancer and a divorce.
After that I started thinking twice about creating a 5 year plan.
My research team and I just published the results of our surprising study on grit, and we found that the more committed someone is to “The Plan”, the harder it is for them to innovate, adapt to change, or be flexible when the unexpected happens.
Better than a 5 year plan? A 5 year objective.
We call that objective a Supersized Goal™. It’s the underlying motivation or desire that caused you to create the goals and plans you have now. A Supersized Goal is focused on your purpose, not your path. Because paths and plans can easily be disrupted.
Ask yourself:
*What do I really want? Not what do I want to achieve, but what do I want my life to be about?
*Why do I want it? Not what will it DO for me, but what will it change for me?
*What are all the ways I can make this come true besides the most obvious path?
Spend your time on a 5 Year Objective, not a 5 Year Plan. You’ll find that you’re more flexible, more open to change, and ultimately much more successful.
If you’d like to see a copy of the Grit Resilience vs. Growth Resilience study and what it revealed about how persistence can keep us from being adaptable to change, you can see it by clicking here.
