Forget Your Five-Year Plan!

There's a particular sales guru that I receive frequent emails from.  He's renowed in his field and has helped me immensly over the years. Virtually all of his blog posts are full of useful wisdom that if enacted can greatly benefit your career.  A constant theme of many is the ideal "5-year plan" with the classic career planning mentality and how you need goal setting and a vision towards that ideal outcome. It makes perfect sense, yet it all seems so outdated.

Forget the five-year plan! In fact, stop thinking in terms of "five-years from now I'll be here," etc. Many of the five-year objectives we set will not be a reality in five-years. This mindset creates a thought process where many people delay decisons and opportunities that could benefit them in the here and now. Don't get caught in the jet stream of what is perceived as the ideal life outcome. The notion of putting in your time and getting that dream job is a great vision but the reality is it doesn't have to be a vision. If you have an ideal outcome in mind why delay that outcome for five-years?

When many people invoke the idea of the "five-year plan" they also bring up the notion of "putting in my time". Unfortunately that's exactly what a lot of people are doing--- putting in their time.

How about a five-month plan?  Or a five-day plan?

If you're in business, like I am, you have to think of life in terms of business. In five-years the business landscape may be completely different, as the last five-years can attest. You may be in an industry that doesn't exist in five-years or a company that doesn't exist in five-years. You need to constantly challenge with frequent introspection the direction you're headed.

Many people get caught up in the five-year mindset because of a fear of the unknown. Embrace the fear of the unknown.  If that career path or dream job is perfect in "five-years" why not acheive it now?  Don't wait five-years to start your own business, start the business now! It's not knowing what's on the other side that prevents many of us from making changes that seem completely rational to the outsider.  Unfortunately one of the most difficult things in the world is making those life-changing decisions that seem so daunting inside our head. The best way to analyze such a decision is to take a look at it with the worst possible outcomes in mind.  What is the worst thing that could possibly happen?

Once you stop fearing the unknown your potential is limitless. Start by avoiding the "five-year" mentality.