Whenever people describe detailed plans of how they've decided what they'll be doing by each age, I laugh. At 18 or 20, having your whole life already planned out already seems crazy. We all know the girl who says she plans to be engaged at 27, married at 28 and have her first baby by age 30.
Wouldn't it be great if you could plan out your life exactly? Unfortunately, life doesn't usually work that way. You can't really plan when everything is going to happen. Let's say you want to be married by 28. How do you know that you're going to meet the person you want to marry by then? What if something happens and you realize that your high school sweetheart isn't the person you want to be with for the rest of your life? Wedding planning aside, we can't determine when every single life event will happen. What if an amazing career opportunity comes up, and you decide to move somewhere for a few years and put other things on hold? You really never know.
For me, there is one clear plan I have for where I see myself in ten years. I see myself happy. While I plan to get my CPA license in the next few years and work for a public accounting firm, every single thing isn't set in stone. Yes, that's what I want now, but if I work in public accounting for a few years and decide it isn't for me, that's okay. I'm open to change. It's okay to not have it all figured out. Perspectives change over time and people don't always know what will be best for them later on. Who knows, you may have some life changing moment and decide that what you thought you wanted isn't what you want for yourself. It's okay to have a plan, but you shouldn't hold yourself back from great experiences because that plan is so rigid. It's nice to have a few ideas of goals you want to accomplish later on. After all, we need some motivation to keep going when things get tough. However, you can have goals and be open to change.
Yes, I hope that I'm in a solid relationship, am financially comfortable and have a home I love. However, I know that these things aren't always guaranteed and I won't beat myself up about it if things aren't the exact way I imagined they would be. I hope that in ten years, wherever I am and whoever I'm with, I'm happy. Life isn't always rainbows and butterflies, but I'll do my best to make the right choices and be the best sister, daughter, professional and friend I can possibly be, because that's what is truly important. I want to look back and say that I'm proud of what I've accomplished. I want to look back and say I'd do it all over again.
