Creating a 5-Year-Plan
My mom says I share too much on the Internet and she’s not wrong. Obviously, I don’t share everything and usually keep quiet about private information as things happen, but I think sharing about one’s experiences is a great way to build a better and more holistic community. For today, I thought I’d share my 5 year plan.
I wrote my plan out in December of 2019 when two of my beloved cousins insisted that it was a great way to manifest and really know what it is you want. Of course, nothing is set in stone and life is full of variables you can’t control. I wrote down that in 2020 I wanted to practice baking, travel, read as much as possible, and work on my MFA. Unfortunately, COVID-19 interfered with my travel plans and 9 rejections altered my academic path. I’m 2 for 4, which is 50% if I were being graded, but thank heavens I’m not in school. Life is more complicated than just the numbers. I’m baking regularly and improving pretty well and I’ve read so many more books in 2020 than I have in any other previous year.
It’s crazy though because I wouldn’t have believed you if you told me that I’d start and finish a romance novel in 2020. So rather than focus on getting a Master’s or working on my poetry, I’m going to polish this book that I do have and hopefully have it in the query stage by the start of 2021.
I think writing down your 5 (and/or 10) year plan is a great idea for so many reasons. Not only does it help you visualize where you want to be, but it ensures that your daily actions line up with your future goals and that you are surrounding yourself with people that have similar goals or goals that do not hinder you from reaching your own. I definitely can clean up my 5 year plan but I’m okay with things changing up a bit because life is so much more than checking off boxes; some days, weeks, and years you just have to roll with the punches because the universe has a knack for closing some doors but then clearing up unpaved paths for you to discover something entirely new about yourself.
