Do you have a 5-year plan?
I confess, I don’t have a lot of long-term plans. I mean, I take care of big long-range things like saving for retirement, but I don’t have a 5-year plan. At any given point in my adult life, if I paused to look back at the previous 5 years, I couldn’t have predicted much of it!
For some folks, this may feel uncomfortable, not knowing what’s next. But the truth is, we don’t know what’s next. So instead of my letting my fear-based uncertainty gain power by pretending to be in control, my motto is “I show up.”
Showing up has worked for me. It has pushed me outside of my comfort zone and helped me to meet new folks and learn new things. I’ve moved around the country, had great relationships with wonderful people, experienced multiple careers – and landed in one that’s a terrific fit. All because I was willing. All because I showed up.
If I had tried to plan my life in a detailed way – and 
then been disciplined about sticking to the plan – I believe life would have been less rich, less fun, and less fulfilling. I believe the universe often has better plans for us than we have for ourselves – if we just keep showing up.
I was visiting with a friend recently. He’s never had much of a plan either; instead, he stays alert and open to new opportunities. And one of my clients lives by the creed of “How hard could it be?” Notice how all of these mottos provoke action and call for us to step up and try – even if we don’t know what the outcome will be.
If you don’t have a plan, that’s fine; just be sure to take care of the big stuff and have a motto that provokes action. What are the words that you live by that keep you moving forward?
Keep showing up!
p.s. Your comments are most welcome on this post at https://www.facebook.com/jenfrankcoaching