Think about the future for a little bit. Where do you see yourself in five years? Where do you want to be in 10? Maybe you can’t answer that question right now. That’s okay; we have all been there before. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t important to still think about. As a matter of fact, you should start dedicating a little bit of time every day, or at least every week, towards planning your future.
Set your goals:
The first thing you should always do to start planning for your future is set your goals. Ask yourself, “What goals do I have?” This can be anything, from personal to professional goals. Goals give us purpose; they give us a direction and a vision for the future. They give us something that will challenge us as we work towards them. Goals, more often than not, are a part of our lives every day. So the first step to planning for your future should be to find out what your biggest short and long-term goals are.
Save:
This is the dreaded step in planning for your future: saving money. Even if it’s just a small amount, try to put away a little bit of money every week towards your future. This can be towards a retirement fund, or just money to have saved up for something you want to do in the future. The best way to do this is to set up a budget. Calculate how much money you’re making and how much money you’re spending. When budgeting, the first thing to start shedding money is by dropping unnecessary expenses. That means not going out to eat five times a week or buying a coffee every morning. That doesn’t mean to stop treating yourself, it simply means to just back on how much you’re spending when you don’t have to.
Positive people:
While you’re planning out your future, surround yourself with the right people. The “right people” can mean a lot of things. What we’re referring to here is people who positive and supportive. The kind of people who will not only encourage you to work towards your goals, but help you achieve them too. The power of positivity is substantially greater than most people realize. Evaluate the people you associate yourself with and make sure they’re pushing you forward instead of holding you back.
Create the plan:
So you’ve laid out the foundation for your future. Now it’s time to put the whole plan into place. Put all your goals down on a piece of paper (or type them out). Separate them into short-term goals and long-term goals. Then, set up a deadline to have the goal achieved. Once you have done this, you can break down each goal into smaller milestones that will lead you to your end goal. Essentially, what you will be doing here is mapping out each goal with progress indicators. By doing so, you will truly be able to envision your goals and know of all the steps you need to take to achieve them.
Be adaptive:
The biggest thing to understand about planning your future is that you will have to be adaptive. Rarely does anyone’s vision go exactly as planned. You’re going to hit road blocks or have to adjust your plans a little. Don’t let this discourage you. It will happen; it’s all part of the process. Be able to adapt to when these things happen. Understand that when roadblocks occur, it doesn’t mean your plan is compromised, rather, you’re facing a challenge and you have to push through it. When these roadblocks occur, adjust your plan to help you get back on track and keep pushing.