Why 5-year plans are dangerous

When I graduated from college in 2009, I got a marketing job at an insurance company. During all interviews (first one as well as when I changed positions internally over 6 years), the hiring manager would always ask about my 5-year plan - and it was just so overwhelming to consider. I didn't like working there (but at least I was lucky to have a job during a bad economy) so how would I talk about a 5 year plan if it would prove my disloyalty?

On top of that, I knew I didn't like working for others, but I didn't know how to get out of it. (During  my time at Ohio State, classes about entrepreneurship weren't as common as they are today.)

In the fall of 2011, I bought a DSLR camera, thinking I'd never make $600 to justify the purchase. By the fall of 2016, I became a self-employed photographer.

What happened in those 5 years was unplanned, inconceivable, and incredibly life-changing.

So what if I made a 5-year plan and worse off, what if I followed it? What if it had to do with staying in the insurance industry? What if it meant I'd still be working for someone else? What if it didn't help me be happier? What if it made me think I shouldn't follow a dream?

I hate "what ifs." So I didn't make a 5-year plan. I didn't ask "what if." I just did it. But I can say, with great certainty, that if I had a 5-year plan and followed it, I wouldn't be as happy as I am today.

So how could a 5-year plan be dangerous? It could be dangerous if you're underestimating your own abilities.

What about you? Do you have a 5-year plan? Is it helping you or hurting you?

Happy Friday!
Autumn