Five Years From Now – 4 Questions to Help You Map Out the Perfect Plan
Towards the end of last year I got a really great little book simply called 5 by Dan Zadra. It takes you through the process of thinking about where you want to be in 5 years, urging you to think big, figure out what it is you REALLY want and helping you set those goals while not getting off track along the way.
As we wind down 2009, it’s that time of year to start making plans and setting goals for next year. With that in mind, here’s my own take on “5″ and some questions you may want to keep in mind when setting goals for 2010 and onward.
1. Where Do You Want to Be in Five Years?
So where do you want to be living in 5 years? Where do you want to work? How about your business…where do you want that to be? And what about your relationship with family, friends, or others? What about your health and fitness? These are all areas of our lives that can end up on “autopilot” if we’re not careful. Now might be a good time to take a good look at where things are now, where you would like them to be and how much difference there is between the two.
Then you’ll want to figure out…
2. What Would It Take to Get You There?
Quite awhile back, I wrote an article titled, “What Would it Take“. The gist is that “what would it take” is a very powerful question…a much better question than “could it be done”. Asking “what would it take” forces you to be creative as you try to come up with an answer to that question, rather than coming up with any number of reasons why whatever couldn’t happen. Consider “what would it take” for your own personal goals and come up with a few ideas of what it would take to make them happen. Don’t worry about the how, just the what.
Once you have that list in place, then you’ll want to figure out…
3. What’s the Next Physical Action You’re Taking to Move You in That Direction?
One of the many books I read this year was “Getting Things Done” by David Allen. One of the core principles he talks about in the book is figuring out what’s the next PHYSICAL action you need to take to accomplish a particular project. Note that he uses the term “physical” – as in “not just thinking about doing something”. This is another powerful question to keep in mind and to help you figure out the next steps you need to take when shooting for a particular goal.
But before you run off to tackle those tasks, you may want to take a second look to see…
4. What’s NOT Going to Move You in That Direction?
This is a question I find myself constantly asking as I learn about new opportunities, get new ideas and so on. We all have to keep in mind that we live in a world where we have a very finite amount of time but where you can find an infinite number of ideas. But one thing is true for all of us – you simple can’t do everything! So another question to ask yourself is what tasks, projects or commitments aren’t going to make it above your cut line.
These are the exact questions I’m asking myself right now as I look back on 2009 and forward to 2010. Hopefully you’ll find it useful also. But now is the time to start thinking about next year, where you want to take your business and your life and what steps you’ll need to take during the year to move towards those goals. Then, once 2010 gets here you can hit the ground running.
Personally, I CAN’T WAIT! 
3 Responses to “Five Years From Now – 4 Questions to Help You Map Out the Perfect Plan”
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These are actually really good questions to ask. I’m going to try and write them down and answer them and use it as a reference but, as most people are probably well aware, it is all to easy to let things slip and fall through the cracks.
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Have been asking this questions to myself for the past 3 years and I feel I am on the right track. Such questions really helps us in reasoning our activities and justify the need to do it. “5″ by Dan Zadra is a new find and I’ll definitely check it out. Thanks for writing this incredible post and sharing info about the book.
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Now I am over 40 and achieved many of my goals already, I find that my mindset is always focused on attaining ever greater assets to support a comfortable lifestyle.
By that I mean more financial resources, contacts, business infrastructure etc.
But the idea of a 5 year plan is a good one to keep you focused towards attaining a medium-range goal I think.
Keeping the vision of what you want firmly implanted in your mind is very powerful I think.
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