Design a Five-Year Plan That Makes You Happy
You may or may not have heard of the 'five-year plan' as a goal-setting tool for personal and professional development. And overall, it really is as simple as it sounds; where do you want to be in five years' time and what do you need to do in order to get there? Here’s a few pointers to help create an effective and actionable five-year plan that will not only lead to achieving goals, but also real happiness.
Understand Effective Goal-Setting
A useful point to begin with is learning more about how to set goals. It's great to dream big, but if you have no tangible plan as to how you intend to achieve your dreams, then it's unlikely that you will ever be successful. Spending time on the science behind cultivating self-discipline and breaking goals down into manageable tasks will help train the brain to actually follow through and manage your life in a way that alleviates pressure and is and conducive to fulfilling your potential.
Clarify Your Dreams
Sometimes, we might have only a vague notion of what we want for ourselves in five years. If this is the case, it's time to take a closer look at our dreams and define them clearly. Create a list of top priorities and include a rough timeline with each. For example, if you want to become a teacher, research how long it takes to achieve the necessary qualifications and factor this into your timeline. Remember, the timeline is not a deadline; its purpose is to help you envision your goals.
Invest in Education
An excellent way to redirect your future and follow a course you are more excited about is to add to your knowledge. Maybe you want to return to education and retrain to pursue a different career, or maybe you want to transfer to another college where you can fulfill your potential. If this sounds like you, visit campusreel.org for more information. It's never too late to reevaluate your goals and take a new path, and education is a fantastic way of giving yourself opportunities.
Evaluate Your Priorities
A five-year plan is a relatively short-term look at the future, which is why it shouldn't place undue pressureo achieve all your goals within the set timeframe. However, cutting it down to a five-year plan helps you rearrange priorities and focus attention toward what you care about the most rather than wasting time on smaller goals. This will give you more energy to pursue your main ambitions since you won't be distracted by less important matters.
Stay Flexible and Open
When you have a detailed five-year plan that you are happy with, remember that life is still about variety and enjoying the unexpected moments. If an opportunity arises that takes you away from your five-year plan, it's up to you to decide which path you want to choose. When you stay open to life's surprises, it has a way of guiding you to where you want to be. Another key element to a successful 5 year plan is to reassess it every year along the way and adjust it according to actual life. Realizing that life has a messy way of getting us to where we want to be is a key to happiness, in addition to a successful 5 year plan.
