Think back to 5 years ago.
What did you think you would be doing now? What kind of life did you imagine for yourself?
And are you living that life you imagined?
If so, GO YOU! But if you are like most of us, you probably still have some things you want to improve or add to your life. I know that I was hoping that by now, I would be a bit more in shape and able to run a 5K. I’m still working on that one (sorta).
Without concrete goals, it can be easy for every day life to cloud your vision of the future and make it easier to become complacent with where you are. Of course, we should find the beauty in any stage of our lives. But we can always improve!
A 5 Year Plan can be a great way to create goals for yourself, but they play a role in your current life more than you might think.
Benefits of Creating a 5 Year Plan
- Setting goals of any kind means you are more likely to achieve what you want to achieve!
- It will help you spend time deciding what areas of your life you are happy with and which you want to improve.
- It helps you break down your long-term goals into shorter-term goals.
- It provides motivation and reminders of your goals.
- It can provide a yearly reminder or check-in to decide if you are going in the right direction.
So how do I make one??
Step 1: Decide which areas of your life to focus on
If you want to start simple, find just one area of life you want to work on, like fitness or finances.
If you want to create goals in all areas, I suggest using the categories of:
Health
Career
Family
Finances
Skills
and Travel
Really think about what aspects of each of these areas you are currently happy with, and what you might want to change or improve.
Step 2: Where do you want to be in 5 years?
Now set those goals!
Use your categories from Step 1 and imagine your dream life in each area. In 5 years, do you want a higher paying job? Do you want to have travelled internationally? Take some time and really consider what you want out of life.
Then, write your goals in an “I WILL…” statement. This uses psychology to “trick” your brain into believing these statements are not negotiable, that they WILL happen! Instead of “I want to run a marathon”, say “I will run a marathon.” Really believing you will meet your goals puts you one step closer to actually doing so!
Step 3: Break it down into yearly goals.
Now that we have our 5 year plan, let’s break down every goal into one or 2 goals that we can achieve in the next year.
If you want to run a marathon in 5 years, you wouldn’t want to set a goal for running a half marathon in the next year. We don’t want to set goals that are too difficult to reach in a year. Instead, maybe decide that by next year, you will be able to run 5 miles comfortably. Even if you can already run 3 miles easily and meet your goal early, you will have achieved your goal for the year and will feel accomplished and proud!
For each goal in your 5 year plan, create a goal or two that you KNOW you can reach by this time next year.
Step 4: Create new habits
We are going to break it down one more time.
Take each yearly goal you made in step 3 and decide on simple daily or weekly tasks that will help you work towards that yearly goal.
If you want to be able to run 5 miles by next year, plan to do a challenging cardio workout 3-4 times a week.
Or if you want to have $2,000 in savings by next year, make it a habit to make coffee at home instead of stopping by Starbucks on the way to work.
Put these new habits in your planner or as reminders in your phone so you can’t forget about them. It takes 21 days of consistently doing a behavior or task to make it a habit, so stay consistent!
Building new habits by changing behaviors one day at a time is the easiest way to make big changes in your life.
You’re done! You made your 5 Year Plan! Now what?
Print it! Share it! Post it!
Do anything you can to make sure you see your plan often. Tell friends and family about your plan so you have people to support you and hold you accountable. I printed my plan and taped it up at my desk so that I see it every day and I am reminded of why I am making changes and what I am working towards.
Review your plan every year and change your yearly goals to reflect your progress toward that big 5 year goal.
How great will it feel to erase your yearly goal, knowing you met it or exceeded it, and make a new goal that is one step closer to your ideal life!!
You can get my free downloadable 5 Year Plan template by clicking the download button here, or you can make your own using a table in Word or Google Docs.
![](https://pinetreesandpaperclips.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/5-year-plan.png?w=1024)
I know all of you have what it takes to reach those goals and live your best life!
Share your 5 Year Plans on Instagram and tag @pinetreesandpaperclips for the chance to be featured on our Instagram!