Watch Out! Life Plan May Be Subject to Change
Category: Unitarian Universalism - General
2nd Half Life Goals and Assorted Pipe Dreams (a Unitarian Universalist blog) points to Thomas Hoffman’s Computerworld article, 10 Career Killers to Avoid. Hoffman includes this gem:
1. Failing to have a life plan. “This is the No. 1 biggest mistake that I run into with my clients. I work with a number of clients in IT, many of whom are in C-level roles. A life plan is a business plan, in the same way that a company leader creates an annual business plan for what the future is going to bring from a corporate perspective. Three life aspects to focus on include one’s career, personal and family, and financial goals.
Ok, the part that jumps out at me is Hoffman’s mention of “personal and family” life. I’m all on board with financial planning — that’s just sound advice. But really, should we be treating our personal life as a business, with fixed goals for the 5-year, 10-year, and 15-year marks? I think not.
I’m seizing on this bit of Hoffman’s article because I think his advice is not uncommon. I can’t count the number of self-help gurus who encourage fans to picture an ideal life, in great detail, and then imagine that exact life into reality. Or dating “experts” who encourage women to treat finding a life partner as a full-time job, including a dating schedule and personal re-branding. Blech!
In a crisis situation, having a precise vision of the ideal future can help someone get through the day or the year. That’s fine.
But at a certain point, I think the personal-life-as-business-plan attitude becomes corrupting. It’s presenting a false vision of the world as something each person can control to his or her specifications. And it presents a vision of other people as simply the means to an end — if a loved one surprises you with a newfound relationship or a desire to travel, just remind them that it’s not in the 10-year plan!
Life is full of upsets we can’t control, and opportunities we can’t have imagined in advance. The unpredictability of life is both exciting and genuinely frightening.
In my own case, I think of what my life goals were five years ago, and am extremely grateful that I was open to changing them. God can pull us in unexpected directions. A life plan should include these words in bold at the top: Subject to change at any time!
November 16th, 2007 14:54
Well, I just wrote about a five year plan… it wasn’t something that I thought was set in stone. It was an exercise to see what I was thinking/dreaming about. I agree, I don’t want my life to be a business. Change and spontaneous decisions are the spice in my life, but having goals is good too.
I just don’t get to hung up on any of it!
November 16th, 2007 17:27
Creating a life plan is simply an exercise in awareness. Developing a sense of who you are, what you want, and how you can use the gifts you have given to live a life of purpose and fulfillment.
In leading my interactive life planning classes, I have found women have a strong need for three things: security, ability to be independent and freedom. Until you have a plan in place for spiritual, physical, and financial wealth, you are in the wilderness. A scary place to be.
I agree that we only have control over our own actions and our attitudes. But without a plan, we miss seeing the opportunities and instead may be held back by perceived obstacles.
Life isn’t fair. The “Secret” can be dangerous if we don’t realize that a plan of action, not just hope or visualizations, are what changes lives. And yes, we must be open to changes.
But a roadmap helps direct our path to become the best person we can be.
November 16th, 2007 18:25
Jacqueline,
Doh! I’ve been buried under tasks this week and didn’t see your blog post before writing this. Now I’ve read your post on your five year plan, and it is a thoughtful list of experiences you want to have. It sounded to me less like a “business plan” and more like a way of articulating some of your dreams for the future.
You’re right that considering broad goals and things we would like to accomplish is a worthwhile — even necessary — way of finding inspiration.
Lynn,
Thank you for your comments. I agree that it can be scary to be in a “wilderness” place in life where the future is unclear. And as you said, a “roadmap” can give us hope.
For example, Alcoholics Anonymous participants have found it very powerful to use a 12-step plan, and I respect that.
What I am concerned about is the selling of easy formulas that equate achieving a fulfilling personal life with running a business or with making a commercial transaction.
It seems to me that we can control the decisions we make, but not always the outcomes. The important thing in charting a life is to make decisions that are compassionate to ourselves and to others, and fitting with our understanding of our relationship to the sacred. However, those decisions may not always fit a business model for understanding the world, and they may have unexpected consequences.
November 17th, 2007 15:51
I retired my Franklin Planner a couple of years ago, and my life seems generally the same without having goals and objectives for every increment of time. So I don’t really have a plan, and I’m okay with that. I think that it is all wilderness to me, with or without a plan, but I’m okay with the wilderness.
I’d like to find out more about the history of planning. It seems a relatively new phenomenon to me brought on by the fact that there are many more options. But I could be wrong.
November 18th, 2007 10:41
Ms. Theologian,
The history of planning (time management, life goal-setting, and related issues) would definitely be interesting — please let me know if you post on it or come across some good resources!