A Surprising Lesson From 15 Years Of 5 Year Plans

Just how predictive are these goal-setting exercises?

Photo by Anthony Tori on Unsplash

Unpacking a ten-year-old moving box can yield interesting insights. I came upon a five-year plan I completed as part of a goal setting exercise in 2004.

The five-year plan is a staple in personal development seminars and a common trope in comedies — the movie Big Daddy comes to mind.

I’ve done several of these exercises in my adult life in various formats. Each one, even the most recent, was filled with laughable prophecies that defied rational thought.

Despite their questionable predictive value, I learned something valuable from my 2004 plan.

My ludicrous income prediction

Let’s get this out of the way. My two million dollars per year income prediction proved to be grossly inaccurate. I assumed I would be running a successful business, so I guess it made sense from that perspective.

The funny thing is, I have no desire to run a business. I thought that I should want to do that, but I never had the passion for it. I’m not a people…