Develop A 5-Year Plan Now

A lot of people focus on the now. Where am I working now. Where am I living now. People often neglect to think about where they will be in the future. Businesses can fall into that rut as well. But planning ahead is the best way to get where you want to be. In 1932, Matsushita's founder instituted a 250-year plan when the company was only 14 years old and had 160 employees. Wishful thinking at the time, but now Matsushita is a major conglomerate. Google's mission statement declares their goal is "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." CEO Eric Schmidt said that would probably take about 300 years. Now that's planning ahead. But just developing a 5-year plan in your professional and personal life should be more than enough. Get the experience and skills now to be in place to get your ideal job within 5 years. Prepare yourself to be financially sound to be able to buy a house, have kids, or retire within 5 years if those are realistic goals for you. It doesn't have to be terribly detailed, but developing your 5-year plan now will save you a headache in the future.