I generally don’t think long-term. I do have ambitions and I have a general plan but there is no more irksome question than “Where do you see yourself after 5 years?”. Memes about this question being asked in 2015 are already aplenty. All your plans, goals, and targets crumble as soon as a personal calamity occurs.
Just a day after Diwali 78% people of my family fell sick which totally ruined all the festivities. The scare is still hanging in the balance and the road to recovery is still a few weeks longer. This has totally toppled everyone’s plans, goals, and targets and now everyone is looking for short-term betterment.
I recently read: Your Life in Weeks (https://waitbutwhy.com/2014/05/life-weeks.html). Summarizing it below:
Think about your life. Divide it into weeks (or months or years or decades). If you are already in your 30s, 33% of your life has already gone. The majority of the time you spent with your parents, your real friends, and your hobbies might already be spent. Many of the attempts are already being used up as we speak.
But, it is not all bad. We still have 66% of the life left. That is actually good. The most satisfactory time is yet to come your way. Your earlier time might have been for your own self. Maybe, now is the time to think about others. Now might be the time when you can guide others to lead their lives better. Now might be the time when you can devote to your latent hobbies. The others can be anyone you care for.
We will always be short of time. But there might be a wee bit of time in your week left to spend thinking about others. Think of your life in weeks or months or years or decades. Many greats achieved their highs in their careers in 2nd halves of their lives. So can we.
There will be a mixed bag of news coming our way as we grow older. Many of them would be out of our control anyway. So, instead of saying why me, we can change our perspective and think about what can be done to change the next few coming weeks, or years, or decades. But don’t reply to the dreaded question about where do you see yourself after 5 years as the answer remains: In the mirror.
Photo by United Nations COVID-19 Response on Unsplash
