Do you need a clear plan and goals to ensure future success?
My natural tendency (I’m an ENFP for any Myers Briggs fans out there) is to respond to what comes up, navigating life’s choppy waters with what I hope is a strong tiller (otherwise known as “winging it”), and going with my gut about what feels like a meaningful direction to be heading in, but less inclined to know the exact destination.
In the past, I’ve seen this as a weakness (where are my "Big Hairy Audacious Goals" and a ten year action plan?) but increasingly I’m realising that this can be its own strategy for success, and so far it's led me to a life that feels happy and purposeful.
Listening to Deepak Chopra MD speak to Jessi Hempel on #HelloMonday last week supported this perspective when he said that:
“If you’re really focused on what you’re doing in the present, then the future is spontaneously guaranteed to be in the direction that your deepest desire is.”
Rather than having a plan, he says he simply asks himself four questions each morning, and doesn't answer them but LIVES them:
Who am I?
What do I want?
What ‘s my purpose?
What am I grateful for?
We can’t all be spiritual masters like Chopra, but the principle I take from this is to go through life with a compass, rather than a clear idea of the destination.
This feels particularly true in these times of great change and uncertainty where a long-term plan could potentially be setting yourself up for failure and could also blinker you to the unexpected opportunities that come up along the way.
Stanford lecturer Michelle Florendo, who calls herself a “Decision Engineer” and spoke in a Careershifters masterclass on how to make career decisions described it as less like shooting an arrow at a bullseye and more like steering a ship, tweaking and course-correcting as you go.
This is especially true for the career changers I work with who don’t yet know where they're heading, but DO know they need to take action, otherwise they'll just stay where they are.
That compass could be your core values, what you know to be your drivers (the stuff that energises and motivates you), your natural strengths and the topics/issues you care about. By checking in with the compass each day and making sure you’re heading in the right direction, you’ll end up working towards the kind of success that feels meaningful to you.
I’d love to hear what you think, especially if you see yourself as more of a planner. What are the advantages of this, as opposed to just living in the moment? Is there a way we can powerfully balance the two?
Photo by Frank Eiffert on Unsplash