This morning we talked about what happens when you throw the five-year plan out the window and learn to trust your gut. Combined with yesterday’s post from Rachel about the sometimes terrifying act of settling down, and Monday’s piece on getting hitched and then setting off on worldwide (solo) travel, this week has me thinking a lot about what it means to plan for the future. I used to live for my five-year plan. That is, until my early twenties showed me that a) a lot more can happen in five years than I ever anticipated, and b) the universe doesn’t particularly care about my five-year plan. The good news is that the older and more established I get, the less dedicated to a five-year plan I become (though, if I could fulfill my lifelong dream of becoming Tina Fey before I’m thirty, I’ll be okay with that).
That said, while my plans are constantly changing and evolving, I find it very empowering to say my long-term goals out loud (a farm somewhere with a herd of cattle and a photography studio, please). By putting it out there, I add a layer of accountability to my wildest dreams that doesn’t exist when they live isolated inside my brain (like that time a few years ago I emailed Meg telling her I wanted to start a photography business and then suddenly felt like I had to do it because now she was counting on me).
So today I want to open this thread to your dreams and goals. What does your five-year plan look like? Are you in the middle of it and need help figuring out what comes next? Feeling conflicted about a big decision you’ve made or are about to make? My favorite open threads are the ones where we come together to support and help each other into the next stages of whatever we’re planning. So let’s see what happens when we put our heads together on the really big things.
Photo: Corey Torpie Photography
