You’re Ok Without a Long Term Plan.
But have long-term principles.
After reading Matthew Kent’s article, Your 10 Year Plan for a Remarkable Life, I had mixed feelings.
On one hand, something in me recognized the value of such planning, the discipline and determination that I always admire. The determination to write a plan and intend to pursue it. But most of all, the vision.
We are naturally drawn to people who are visionaries. They are the upper class breed of leaders. There’s something very powerful about their determination, which makes others respect them.
But, a part of me knows that, although I’ve grown in my life so far, I’m not a visionary yet. Maybe I won’t awaken the visionary in me, in this lifetime.
I’m ok with being a normal person, a follower of some people, a leader for others. One of the brilliant achievements in my life so far is I stopped beating myself for not being even better.
I think many people can resonate.
Maybe you don’t know exactly what you want to do/be/have in 10/20/50 years, but you trust life. You know you are on a growth path. You conquered some heights, you still have some demons you fight. Yet, you know you’re on the right track.
I think the 10 year planning is suitable for people who have a vision — and by that, I mean they know their values; they act daily according to their values and are committed to their values, no matter what.
I’ve noticed this is hard to maintain, especially over a long period. Because if you don’t live alone in the mountains, there is a partner/parents/boss/client/child/… that require of you to act according to their needs. Which often leads to postponing/changing/giving up on acting on what you thought were your set-in-stone values.
I can only speak from a personal perspective. 10 years ago, I had no firm idea what I wanted to do with my life. I became a marketer for a big company, and I loved it. I even identified with the role for years.
Until I burned out. That got me to reconsider my values.
Should I have planned for a ‘remarkable life’ 10 years ago, I would have gone for what my then-self saw as ‘cool’: job title, corporation, label clothing, fancy car, travels abroad for conferences. I still feel those are cool, but in the past 10 years, I discovered that they can be only part of a fulfilled life. Yet, back then, that’s the only thing I perceived.
I’m glad 10 years ago I didn’t make this exercise; life got me in situations I couldn’t have imagined, some pleasant but most of them challenging — the result of which is a person with different values than the one I was 10 years ago. Different in a good way, be it only because I care less about impressing others (although I still care, I’m human living in society, not alone in the mountains.)
My then-self would have imagined ‘success’ in a very consumerist way, and now, I’m happy with not showing off, as I thought I would. That is good for my budget, for retirement, and for the planet — see what I mean?
Instead of a 10-year plan, based on what you care about today, I believe it’s more honest to yourself to focus on what becomes dear to your heart, as you experience new stuff, welcome new people into your life, maybe get past losing dear people… staying true to the present, although that may sound so overused.
Yes, 10 year planning will work wonderfully for people who decide to respect their present values, no matter what.
I would like to become that person who affords to stubbornly put herself first, and stick to a 10-year plan.
Until then, I co-create with others, to the best of my ability, on shorter time-frames. And I feel I am good enough, even if I don’t have a vision for a 10-year plan.
