Do you ever sit around and think about the future? When we’re young, we often think about what life will be like when we grow up. Who and what will be become? But as an adult, we sometimes quit dreaming or thinking about the future. It’s more of a day-to-day existence for some. Focused on the present.
Maybe you had a dream and it died. Maybe you never really had a plan or dream. You just waited to see how it would all work out on its own.
In my career counseling class yesterday evening, we spent time doing introductions and getting to know everyone. I always enjoy introduction night because you get to hear a little of everyone’s story and what brought them to this point in their life. After the intros, we broke into groups and shared our future plans.
I LOVED this exercise because it was straight from the heart of coaching. Do you know how hard it was to just sit and listen and not run with it and ask coaching questions to explore further? It was pure self-control. 🙂
We were asked to share where we saw our lives in 5 and 10 years, and then how we would get there. There were 6 women in my group and it was really interesting to hear everyone’s goals and ambitions. The youngest in our group was only 22 and she said it was a little overwhelming and it just hit her that “this was real” and within reach when she realized how different things would be for her in 10 years.
So, what about you?
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? What will life be like?
- What are your goals for yourself?
- What do you know for sure?
- What do you imagine may be true?
- What would you like to be able to say about your life in 5 years?
What about 10 years? That’s not that far away, yet a lot can happen in 10 years. Even if you haven’t even started on your dream yet, just think how much you could accomplish in 10 years! That’s 3, 650+ days (adding a few leap years in there). What could you do in 3, 650 days?
What about your family? How will it be different in 10 years? You may be at a different stage of life then.
My vision of the future:
I had fun with this one. I could write (and have written!) pages on my goals, ha! I’ll just share a few significant highlights: In 5 years, I will have my master’s degree in counseling finished and will have my counseling license. I will also be really close to finishing my doctorate — or possibly will already have it. I will open my counseling and coaching center and will be doing work that I love. Two or three of my boys will be finished with college and my girls will be in college and finishing high school. My babies won’t be babies — they will be in elementary school and much more independent. There may even be a wedding or two.
I won’t bore you with all the details of my ten year goals, but I think you can see how life can be very different in just a few short years.
Back to you…
Your life in 5 or 10 years will be what you make it. What do you want it to be? What are you doing today to make that happen?
- What steps do you need to take?
- What resources will you need to accomplish your goals and make your vision of the future a reality?
- What would you do if there was nothing that would stop you? If you dreamed big– and money, time, people, etc. weren’t a factor?
- What obstacles will you overcome to get there? What are other possible obstacles?
Where to start
If you don’t know where to start, you can just pick one area of your life and begin there. As you plan through your areas, keep your “WHY?” in front of you. Why? — what’s the motivation? — What makes this important to you? What will it give you? What will it do for you? And then that answer — what will it do for you you? And then that one… keep going until you you get the same answer over and over. Then you know you’ve hit the real motivation behind your goal or dream.
So, 5 and 10 years from now……..Who will you be and what will your life be like? How will you get there?
I’d love to hear your answers to those questions!
