“Where do you see yourself in five years?”

Well, did your 2015 self guess right?

Unlikely.

We spend a ton of emotional labor making a plan for everything we do. Going to lunch? Putting together a proposal? Asking someone to go on a date? We make a plan.

We make plans based on predictions. The problem is our predictions are often wrong. And despite all of our knowledge we have accumulated, the future is changing faster than we can see.

Here’s the thing about plans:

Just because we really want to do something it doesn’t mean we are entitled to it. That is a harsh reality considering our up and coming generation has heard for many years, “You can do anything you put your mind to.”

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try either. When we commit to the work, we are guaranteeing a result. Perhaps the outcome will be disappointing and we won’t be successful in our endeavor. But if we don’t try, then we will fail.

Instead of making a plan, we should be focused on making a commitment.