Twenty years ago, I had an opportunity to work for an international company. It was kind of the wild, wild West. Everyone was outsourcing to Asia. As I was working to develop the Asia-Pacific Ream regions, we started to have a plan for the next five years. One part of the plan was for me to go to Hong Kong to run the business. I learned a very good lesson from it. As Mergers and acquisitions were moving forward so were the China plants especially being pushed by some of the young leaders. The battle to control that region become prominently and when the dust finally settled our plans never came to fruition. From that I learned a lesson, I never make plans longer than a year at a time.
During interviews we could be asked by HR and hiring managers where do we see ourselves in five years?
I never answered the way potential employers would expect. “With everything is evolving so fast five years is too far out. I could win the lottery, be hit by a bus, buy my own island and have amazon delivering everything I need” it always surprised people when I answered that way. I would follow by “what I am doing today will bring me where I need to be in five years”
I have also seen people putting in their resume “in 5 years they are seeing themselves as manager, CEO etc.” Life can take an unexpected U-turn that can throw you off the course you should have taken.
I have experienced this happening many times in my life. Thinking I would be working in corporate, doing what I was doing, then all sudden opportunity knocked on my door that would change the trajectory I was in, to become closer to where I needed it to be.
Because I am a six sensory the future is too far. When I co-create with the Universe I do it in present tense. You want to experience in the now, to let the Universe, know what I would like to experience.
If you are always thinking in the future I would like to become a manager or run a company, you are not helping yourself. The future could be in 10, 20 or 90 years.
If you have a company, yes five years plan would be nice to help you to set some goals but again you need to be able to adjust those plans based on actual events. You always must consider the market/markets you are in. If people are purchasing your items, what is the stability of the overall markets. Are we in recession or not? A lot of factors, but you also need to be flexible to adjust. How about competition not only local but international?
A company is like our journey we need to navigate safely the rapids in that river.
I truly do not know where I will be in five years, but I know that where I am today will take me to where I need to be in five years. I also do not put a time stamp on anything I do. Again, co-creating with the Universe is always on the Universe’s time not mine. That also can be frustrating but again there is a reason, sometimes we do not get what we want when we want it. It is always for our best interests to have faith in the Universe to get us where we need to be safely.