This post was originally published on 7th November 2018 and updated on 17th February 2024.
Planning – it seems to be a skill you’re either good at, or you’re not. I’m pretty good at planning adventures. It’s having a grand, overarching life plan that I struggle with. The kinda plans that are supposed to help us get where we want to be in five, ten, twenty years time.
Defining a “Life Plan”
Let’s get into what I mean by “life plans.”
Take, for instance, one of my friends. She’s always been clear about her life plans: find a partner, buy a house, tie the knot, have kids. And credit to her, she’s ticked off each item one by one. Another friend always wanted to be a Doctor, and that’s exactly what she became. And then there’s me. Well, I managed to get half a foot on the property ladder once upon a time, but it turned out that wasn’t the right path for me. I had vague ideas when I was a kid of stuff I might want to do for a living one day in the future, but nothing concrete. And I’ve never really felt particularly strong about having kids either.
It’s important to note that what one persons life goals are won’t be the same as the next.
But it does beg the question: why is it so challenging for some of us to map out our futures?
Embracing Life’s Adventures
Currently, my life plan extends about as far as clearing off my credit card and earning enough money to spend Christmas abroad, but beyond that? No bloody idea.
Marriage? Kids? They’re not at the top of my agenda right now. Instead, I’m embracing being more spontaneous – exploring new places, trying new things, meeting new people. It’s an adventure, albeit one without a plan.
My career has never followed a plan either. Unlike those who dream of corner offices and six-figure salaries, my ambitions have always been more modest. All I’d ever wanted was enough money to live comfortably and enjoy the occasional vacation. Although that is one area of my life that has changed. Finally I’m focused on living a bit more comfortably. And I live for my holidays.
Back in my school days, I didn’t have a plan either. The thought of university didn’t even cross my mind until mere months before my A-level results. I took a leap, hoping higher education would provide some clarity. And in a way, it did. I found a passion in Human Geography and Third World Development.
But even armed with a degree, my career path remained hazy. Teaching? Local government? NGO work? None of them ignited a fire within me.
I looked into travel writing for a while but I needed to find a decent job to be able to afford to travel if I was to go down that route.
Succeeding Without a Plan
Then came the unexpected: a job offer in football. It wasn’t part of a master plan. But it felt right. And for nine years, I loved working for my local County Football Association defying those who doubted my ambition to grow.
Despite lacking a concrete career roadmap, I’ve always held a fierce dedication to my self-development. Whether bagging groceries or managing a store, I’ve consistently pushed myself to learn and improve.
I stayed at Northamptonshire Football Association for 9 years before I made the move to London. Moving to London wasn’t part of a grand plan either. I had been comfortable in my job, but there was little opportunity for growth or promotion. When I was offered an opportunity in London, I grasped it with both hands.
After 5 years in London, my job became redundant. Yet again, I didn’t have a plan. But I did have a gut feeling. I walked away from football and set up my own business as a freelance Social Media Manager.
I’m pleased to say I found a career I love without a master plan. It’s a career I never could’ve dreamt of having, as Social Media Manager’s weren’t a thing when I was growing up!
So, here’s the million-dollar question: do you really need a big life plan to succeed?
I don’t have the answer. But what I do know is this: for someone who’s never had a plan, I seem to be doing just fine. And maybe, just maybe, that’s success in its own right.
I would love to know your thoughts on this. Do you really need a plan to be successful?
I think it’s good to have a plan to know how you’re going to achieve what you want to achieve but at the same time, you have to acknowledge that nothing goes according to plan and things do change so you have to ensure you’re adaptable to it. I’ve planned my life and it did not go according to plan but once I accepted that things change and I changed as a person, it made things much easier.
A plan is a beautiful thing, and gives me a sense of (inevitably false) security; it gives you an idea of efficiency and direction of travel but you never know what you’ll find on the other side of the door or the people with you…might be better might be worse but that’s life. I’m increasingly trying to love the principle I tell the kids which is we are who we are everyday and we are what we do everyday, so be at peace with who you are and what you do (and if you don’t like it, life’s too short so get a move on and do something about it tomorrow) there is no future self or better version of me, there’s just me. Gulp. And that’s it. X
Thank you for sharing. I guess it’s not knowing what’s behind each door that makes life so interesting. The way we tackle the challenges that sit behind each door is what truly makes us who we are
When I decided to have a stab at Horticulture, I gave myself 5 years to volunteer, study, get a qualification and get paid employment. I was dead chuffed to do it all in 4 years, and after 2.5 years at my job i’m now full time and standing in for my manager while she takes a year long career break. While on paper it appears I went all out and achieved what I wanted, my job came my way through a friend of a friend and i’m only standing in as manager because mine isn’t here for a year! My point is this: It’s good to have a plan as it keeps you on track (especially career wise) but there’s a hell of a lot of luck and knowing the right person at the right time involved too!
Thank you for sharing this Kelly! You’ve done so well to achieve all that you have, in that time. I agree that sometimes you have to be in the right place at the right time, but it’s not all down to luck. If you hadn’t put the hard work in, your manager wouldn’t have seen how wonderful you are, and would’ve been more hesitant to leave you in charge. It’s definitely given me food for thought 🙂
I would say the most important thing is to have a clear vision of what / how you want to feel in life. Planning every single detail can be bad as well as not planning at all. I guess we just need to find the right balance for us and ask ourselves “am I happy? if not, what do I need to do to feel happier?”… 🙂
I think you’re right. Possibly for the first time in my life I have a clearer vision as to what I would like to do. Maybe I just need to spend a little bit more time putting in the graft, rather than waiting to ‘see what happens’. Definitely something to think about 🙂