How to Create a 5-Year Plan for Your Life
Did you plan out the last five years of your life? Most people don’t plan ahead that far. We often don’t even plan out the next day.
Imagine how much you could accomplish over the next five years if you made a reasonable plan and stuck to it.
Without a plan, your life is unlikely to change much. You put yourself at the mercy of luck.
Consider these aspects of your life:
Finances. Think about where you want to be financial. Consider income, net worth, debt, savings, and investments. Are there new income streams you want to create? What are your future plans for spending? Do you want to purchase a house? A boat? An investment property?
Health. What are your current health challenges? How much do you want to weigh? What type of diet do you want to follow? How fit do you want to be?
Career. Where do you see yourself in five years? Where do you want to be working? What do you want to be doing? Do you need to go back to school? What is your dream job?
Relationships. Are there any relationships you’d like to create or dissolve? Do you want to have children or more children?
Personal Development. Do you want to learn to speak Spanish or to play the piano? Would you like to learn how to dance? What would you like to learn or to become? What skills do you need to acquire to make the most of the next five years?
Adventure. What would you like to do? Climb a mountain? Go skydiving? See a volcano? What adventures would you like to experience over the next five years?
Write down what you want for each of these six areas of your life. Once you've completed that, begin the process of making a plan for the future. It’s not enough to know where you’re going. You must plan your path, too.
These strategies will help you to create a plan and execute it:
1. Set goals. Create a few goals for each area of your life and set deadlines for each goal. Avoid just having long-term goals. It’s important to have shorter-term goals that lead up to your bigger goals.