Ironic as this may sound, I’ve never really been one for a five-year plan, I’m definitely more into annual plans and knowing what I’d like to achieve that year. Obviously in life you may have a brief few things that aren’t imminent, but you know that you’d like to achieve them in a few years, but when it comes to actually writing it down, it’s not really me. That being said, I did come across a five-year plan that I wrote a few years ago, 3 to be exact and I thought it would be interesting to evaluate it and see whether or not I’d be able to tick anything off it.
MY 5-YEAR PLAN FROM 2017, AGED 19.
1. FINISH UNIVERSITY WITH AT LEAST A 2:1
I am currently in my first year at university studying journalism and I want to finish my degree and achieve at least a 2:1, but preferably a first class honors. Apart of the reason why I decided to go to university, is to use it as a stopgap to really and truly figure out what I want to do for my career, so I also want to develop some skills as well as get prepared for the world of work.
2. SAVE UP FOR A DEPOSIT
I’ve only just moved back home from student halls and I’m quite comfortable at home and I’m in no hurry to move out any time soon. However I do want to save up for a deposit for a place so that I have the option to get on the property ladder and either buy my first place to live in or buy my first place to renovate and rent or put back on the market especially as I love interior design!
3. KICK START MY CAREER
When you get a part-time job whilst studying at college or university, it’s very rarely one that you see yourself in for the long run. I currently work in retail and market research (which, for the record I love my retail job – not so much the market research one) and I’m so excited to start my career in something that (fingers crossed) I love and enjoy going into work every day! I’d love to embark on something that utilizes my photography, travel and writing hobbies and something that constantly changes on a regular basis.
4. LOOSE WEIGHT
I’ve not been happy with my weight for the longest time and I really want to lose weight so that not only will I end up being healthier, but I will also look and feel better and more confident in my clothes and appearance. I don’t have any set amount of weight that I want to loose, but I’ll gage that depending on how happy I feel with the way I look, throughout the process.
5. TRAVEL FURTHER AFIELD
I really enjoy travelling and seeing different countries and experiencing various cultures. In 2016, I only travelled within Europe whilst in 2015; I went to three different states in America. I have always wanted to travel even further and within the next five years, I want to travel to Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam in South-East Asia and also Dubai, as they are all places I have wanted to travel to. I also want to travel around Europe more and do a few city breaks to Amsterdam, Brussels and also go back to Paris!
WHERE I AM NOW, IN 2020, AGED 22.
1. At least I’ve achieved the first thing on my 5-year plan! I have indeed graduated from university, as hard as it was and at times I didn’t think I was going to get through it, but I did! I didn’t get a first class, but I did achieve a 2:1, which I am still more than happy with! Although apart of the reason why I went to university was because I had no idea what I wanted to do. I hate to admit it but I still don’t really know what I want to do! I’ve had a lot of thinking time this year and I’ve looked back at my life and wondered how I’ve gotten to where I am now, whether it’s to do with jobs or friendships and I realised that my life is like a river with rapids. I sort of just go with the flow and have faith that I’ll end up where I’m supposed to be. That being said, I am going to take control and get a rein on things.
2. Saving up for a property is hot on my 5-year plan and actually is one that is still achievable. I’ve taken control of my spending and I don’t buy things for the sake of it, or if it doesn’t make me feel anything other than great! – No more ‘meh’ items cluttering up my wardrobe! Although it’s been three years since I wrote this plan, as of 2020, I have actually started saving up for a property now, I’m evening monitoring my credit score – yay me for adult-ing! But in all honesty, my spending habits have changed and if the past 2 years have taught me anything, is that, life is a lot easier and slightly less stressful when you have money set aside, because life has a habit of tripping you up when you least expect it. Having a bit of savings just creates a little safety blanket and makes the fall a little less scary!
3. This is one that I’ve sort of failed at so far. I haven’t kick started my career, for various reasons – no luck in getting a job, also just not really knowing what I want to do. Like I said before, I have faith that everything will work out, and in the meantime, I will continue to work on my website and create content for people on the interweb to see and enjoy (hopefully!)
4. LOL. Not happened.
5. Although I still haven’t been able to travel to South-East Asia, it’s still very much on my travel bucket list! As is Dubai! Over the past few years, I have been able to make it to Amsterdam and I absolutely love it. I’ve been a couple times since writing my initial bucket list and plan to continue revisiting Amsterdam, which is extremely unheard of for me as I don’t have a tendency to revisit the same place more than once! Although I have been on various holidays since writing this plan, I still haven’t been able to travel anywhere near as much as I would like due to constantly being at university or working and just not having anyone to really go with. Anyway, I’ve decided that I’m going to start travelling solo, because time waits for no man and I’m not going to put my life and travel plans on hold, due to lack of travel partners!
Do you have a 5-year plan? Is it something that you regularly look back at and evaluate? Have you been able to tick anything off yours?
