Why You Wont Find Me Making a 5 Year Plan - When I Grow Up

Why You Wont Find Me Making a 5 Year Plan - When I Grow Up When I was back in the traditional job world, I was super confident in my interview ability. Ive always had strong relationship and communication skills, came across as personable, and had the ability to spin my answers into what the interviewer wanted to hear. Based on the job I was going for, I knew the right answer to almost every question. There was only one that I feared: Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Id usually give some generic I-want-to-find-a-company-I-can-call-home-and-that-would-allow-me-the-opportunity-to-grow-in-my-role, and that usually landed fine. But inside, Id worry. Where did I see myself in 5 years? When I knew I wanted to act, the answer was easy: Broadway. But once I released that dream, everything got a lot more fuzzy. I remember working as a real estate agent in 2003 and doing really well. The Vice-President of my agency brought me into her office one day and casually said, When you have your own agency I had a visceral reaction. I might have even made a face! I knew that wasnt what I wanted, and that realization let me jump off the Real Estate Agent train 2ish years later without any regrets. From there, I went into sales. After floating from company to company, I knew Where I Saw Myself In 5 Years was not in a commission-only job that relied me to sell things I could care less about for people who had anger management problems. That led me to my job with the verbally abusive boss, which led me to finally get serious about discovering What I Wanted To Do When I Grew Up, and that led to me my Oh Crapballs moment of wanting to be a life coach. But to make that dream a reality, I had to tolerate more interviews until I landed my Executive Assistant job. Even though I knew  I was taking that job to leave it, and that the internal answer to the seat-shaking question was Working full-time for myself as The When I Grow Up Coach, it still shook me up inside when I was confronted with it back in 07. Now, Im in the drivers seat of my career, and the only one who asks me that question is me. I still furrow my brow over it. Where do I want to be in 2021? First off: alive. Thats pretty important to me (to put it mildly!), and doesnt feel like such a given all the time. Then: Happily settled in our new home in the burbs of New Jersey (but still close to NYC!). Also: Have a happy little 2nd grader whos confident and independent, and a husband who gets to do more of the work he enjoys. And: Continuing to do the work I love. That about sums it up. Alive, happy, and coaching. But isnt that The Worst Answer Ever, especially coming from a certified life coach who helps others make specific, measurable goals and break down how to get there? Arent I supposed to talk about my best-selling book, or my million dollars a year, or my summer home in Cape May? Sure, I could. I could spout my Crazy Big Dreams and make a 5 year plan around them. But the thing is: Its all fluid. My interests. My passions. My offerings. My family dynamic. My health. My community. My friend pool. My goals. My objectives. Its all fluid. As a multi-passionate person, I know that I could have a Crazy Big Dream one day and another the next and a third, fourth and fifth before the week is out. I could want to write a best-seller one day and launch a T-shirt company the next. I also want to make sure that I leave myself open to opportunities and heartache I cant foresee. Theres nothing like making a 5 Year Plan and then have a big client knock on your door, or have your parent  fall ill, or need to relocate. Life is fluid. Thats why I dont make plans for anything more than a quarter in advance, even though I have an overall idea (hope? wish? goal?) of how I want this year to look like. Its why Ill never answer the 5 Year Question with just one answer, or anything too specific. I dont have a crystal ball, nor would I want to. I want to take life day by day, week by week, month by month. I want to make the most of it all, whatever that means and whatever it brings. I want to continue to be in charge of how I spend my time, what I choose to work on, and who I get to be in the company of. I aim to be fulfilled, valued, helpful, authentic, creative, and kind. That is my type of 5 Year Plan. Whats yours?