Have a 5-year plan they said. You’ll fail unless you can set goals for your long-term future they said.

I disagree. It’s OK NOT to have a long-term plan.

In 2014, I left a permanent job of 11 years without a plan.

I had taken a course and decided to become a makeup artist. With no experience and no network.

It was an escape plan 🏃🏻‍♀️ rather than a business plan.

I wanted to open a business account with the bank I’d been loyal to since the age of 14, without ever going into the red.

They invited me to a face-to-face meeting to discuss my 5-year forecast and business plan.

I knew the makeup business was going to be short-term and would help me start a portfolio career and I didn’t know how to communicate that in a business plan.

So I found a different bank.

A lot has changed since then.

💥 9 years ago I was a makeup artist

💥 5 years ago I was a blogger, making money from brand sponsorships

💥 2 years ago I was a podcaster

💥 Now I’m a career coach

💥 Throughout all of those iterations I was still a recruiter.

Life — and Covid — happened. I changed my priorities.

Our careers are not trains travelling on fixed tracks. They’re more like off-road vehicles, driving across bumpy terrain, sometimes getting stuck in the mud.

A 1-year plan is much more manageable. It’s easier to break down into small, daily actions. It’s less intimidating to visualise.

You can change so much this year, if you want it enough. Ask yourself:

What is stopping me from making a change?

What is it costing me to stay still?

If you’re not happy, move. You are not a tree 🌳

Where do you plan to be in 1 year’s time?