Only you can answer that, but here’s something to consider: If you don’t have a 5-year plan, or any plan, then what typically happens to most people is they end up living their life by default. A 15-year study of 3,500 people that was done by the Melbourne University found that the happiest people were those who had “clear-cut goals”; including both short and long-term.

The majority of people do not have written down goals.  So the question is:  do you want to be like most people or do you want to be more successful and happier?  If your answer is “yes” to being more successful and happier, then writing a 5-year plan is highly suggested!  The key though is not to make it complicated or you’ll never do it.  In fact, take out a piece of paper right now and jot down a few goals for the next year, then build from that.

“Writing down an intention puts a nugget in your subconscious which sets you on a path to achieving it” according to Kennon Sheldon, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at the University of Missouri in Columbia.  The fascinating part is, once you record your goal then your subconscious mind begins scanning the world in search of people and situations to help you achieve those goals!

A couple of suggestions when writing your 5-year plan is to make your goals “challenging” as well as “specific.”  So stretch out of your comfort zones as to what is possible and dream big!  Getting specific is important because you can’t attract “general” things into your life.  For example, instead of saying, “I want to have more money in savings” be specific and say, “I want to have $200,000 in my savings account in 5 years.”

If you’re ready to go for your dreams, here are a few suggestions from author, Caroline Adams Miller, who wrote, “Creating Your Best Life”:

• Look back and Learn – Write down 5 past accomplishments that will make you feel more confident and competent.  Recapture that feeling of achieving past goals.

• Brainstorm – Let your mind go crazy for 10 minutes and write everything you ever wanted to do in your life without holding back.  Then use this to write a more detailed 5-year plan.

• Reflect on Regret – I’ve heard this also called “regret minimization” which is where you ask yourself, “If I am exactly where I am today in 5 years, which of these goals that I wrote would I most regret not pursuing?”  This will help you prioritize your list.

• Dissect your Top Goals – When reviewing your goals, ask yourself a few questions like:  Is this something I want for myself or that others want for me?  What will achieving it do for me?  How will achieving this goal make my life more fulfilling?  In what ways will it make my life more meaningful?

Doing these exercises will help you gain more clarity, create those nuggets in your subconscious and send out energy into the Universe to help fulfill those dreams of yours.

Once you’ve got your big-picture strategy planned out, then you need to add some action and enthusiasm.  Reading your goals every day or posting them where you can see them really does help keep them in the forefront of your subconscious mind

Now all you have left to do is “live your plan”!  If you’d like some support along the way, I do individual Coaching that can speed up the process and give you the accountability you may be lacking.  I have a Life Coach and every week I have to answer to her…so I get so much more done.  In a Coaching Relationship the goal is to identify where you are now and where you want to be and then take the steps, with the support and guidance of your Coach, to get there!  To learn more about my coaching program, click here.