When I was 16 years old my guidance counselor suggested that I make a five year plan to discover what I wanted to do with my life. I was unsure of where I wanted to go to college, what I wanted to study or the person I wanted to be. As I sat in her office, apathetic and misunderstood, I made a list of things I wanted to do by the time I was 21. The list included:
- Get Into College
- Actually Go To College
- Figure Out Who I Want To Be
- Stop Eating Candy For Breakfast
- Probably Get a Job
- Go Backpacking In Alaska
Looking back at this list at age 21, I can laugh at the priorities and worries that plagued my 16 year old self. I can recall worrying so much about college applications and my GPA not being worthy of any acceptance. Thinking five years into the future made me sick because I was so sure that I wouldn’t succeed based on the smallest of things. As it turns out, I got into all the colleges I applied to and I am currently attending Montclair State University. I went backpacking in Alaska by myself a week after high school graduation, and later went on to find a part time job.
Being 16 wasn’t easy but then again neither is being 21. In fact, the two are quite similar. I’m still worried that I won’t find out who I am and that I won’t get into the internships and jobs I’ve applied to. And as it turns out, I am still eating candy for breakfast.
Looking back on my old five year plan, I am better able to calm myself about the future of the next five years of my life. The things I am worrying about now will likely be the things I look back on and question why I let myself stress out so much in the first place.
With this in mind, here is my five year plan I hope to achieve by age 26.
- Find a Job I Love
- Be Able To Afford An Apartment
- Go Backpacking In New Zealand
- Fall In Love and Settle Down
- Eat Whatever I Want For Breakfast
- Figure Out Who I Want To Be