I’m surprised by how many people don’t think about their future. There’s nothing wrong with living in the moment – that’s actually key to finding joy in the small things in life. But if you’re not thinking about your future, what does the future hold for you? More of the same old, same old?
Are you going to wake up one morning next year, or in five years’ time and feel like you’re in a rut, or that nothing ever changes, other than your age?
You are the only person who can create change in your life, and to create the very best life for yourself requires thought, planning and action.
If you’re not sure where to start, allow yourself to daydream. What would you love to do if time and money were not factors? Who would/could you be? Where do you see yourself in 5, 10, 15 years or more? Think about your career, your lifestyle, your significant others, your health, your finances, etc. – whatever is important to you.
Once you have a vision (thought) of your future, decide (planning) what your actual goals will be to achieve that vision. Now, before you get overwhelmed, break down those huge, magnificent goals into smaller, more achievable, shorter-term goals. Let’s say, for example, one of your goals is to travel to Italy. You want to do that in 5 years’ time. What goals could you set for each year leading up to your planned vacation? If that trip would cost approximately $5000 to undertake today, allowing for some measure of inflation, is it feasible for you to save (action) $1200 a year over the next five years? If that still sounds like a lot, that’s only $100 a month that you would need to set aside. Now, that sounds a lot better, doesn’t it!
No matter what your vision is of your future, as long as you have one, you can plan for it, and take action to move you towards achieving it.
And if you need a little more inspiration, check out my article on vision boards.
