I don't believe in time horizons. I believe in goals, and I believe in realistic expectations, but I don't believe in charting my life for the next five years according to how I feel today. What works in the broad sense (how I feel, who I am, what I want and need) is not what works in the microcosmic sense (how new experiences and relationships will alter my immediate needs and opportunities, changing markets and worldviews, adjustments made as I improve).
If you want something, follow your heart / head / gut. I believe everyone knows the best way to get there. Everything else is just semantics.
The key is to realize what's holding you back and take action to overcome that stumbling block. Maybe overcoming stumbling blocks can become a new pastime in itself. Moreover, perhaps you'll be free of stumbling blocks if you cleave through everything, and then you'll see the bigger scarier question:
What now?
In the meantime, don't get too hung up on specifics and time charts and Getting Things Done, because that's just another falsified reality. Instead, get excited about becoming Chris Brogan and let the rest fall into place around you, sir.
Michael Bailey
· 3 years ago
Damn you Justin Kownacki!!! :-P
How are we supposed to leave our comments after you've said everything which we were going to say?
You are spot on - if I look back just one year at how things were going for me, if I were to have had a five year plan, it would certainly not have included what I am doing at this point in time.
Five year plans in my view are silly because you simply cannot know what other things are going to crop up and have an influence.
I think that I prefer setting more open-ended, yet less measureable goals for mysel, which might come pretty close to your multiple stream analogy.
For example, now one of my goals is to, "Make a difference to the New Media community."
---------------------------------------------------- change of thought ---------------------------------------------------- I had entered the above while sitting here drinking my first cup of coffee, then I became very introspective for a good half-hour and have realized that I'm afraid to make plans because it sets me up for possible failure....
- What if I cannot even meet goals which I've set for myself?
- How could I possibly be expected to meet the expectations which someone else might have for me if I cannot even meet my own expectations?
So I scroll back up to read Justin's comment - maybe that's my fear, maybe that's what is holding me back?? -
Am I somehow afraid of myself? - If so, what part? - - - My potential, or lack of it? - - - - Do I really have passion or is it just a blindness to reality?
Maybe it's all just semantics then? Do I even really need to burn calories worrying about anything which I put in this comment?
Christopher Penn, Financial Ai
· 3 years ago
I believe very strongly in time horizons in the sense that human beings are predictable creatures. Ultimately, from Buddhist thought, we all encounter old age, illness, and death, so that's pretty much baked in. Chances are you already have some pretty definite horizons - that 30 year term life insurance has a definite horizon, and the whole life component of that matures around the same time that your mortgage should be paid off - so that's baked in as well.
Realty tends to go in 7 year cycles locally and nationally. Here in Boston, we're in year 2 of a 3 1/2 year decline. Knowing this means you know when roughly you should or should not buy.
Speaking of your finances, I have a brilliant idea. Let's do a collaboration between small boxes and the Financial Aid Podcast and do a One Page Budget intensive on video for all the world to see.
steve garfield
· 3 years ago
I just made plans for SXSW in Austin for March 10-14th.
What are your plans for March?
I know VON starts on the 19th and you want to have something happening on the 18th too.
Is that going to be "Make My Own TV?"
The sooner you can let me know what that is the sooner I can make plans. Thanks!
Hans Rosemond
· 3 years ago
I like the idea that you have, Chris. I'm not sure that the layout would work for me, though. I, too, have a few "streams" that I'd like to (nay, need to) get going. However, I can't think of them so generally. If I were to say, "Here are my streams. Today I'm going to do this so that I further this stream," I would get lost very quickly. I find that what works for me is to set map out my goals in a hierarchical manner. This way I know where my priorities are and how they relate to my other goals. For instance, one of my priorities is financial. That is...I like eating. So I need money to do so. Now if that is priority number 1, then all of my other goals must bend to it. Hence, doing test shoots, while a good use of time ordinarily, may not be a good use of time for me unless I'm guaranteed to be making money off of the back end from selling prints or such. Why? Because if I'm not making any money off of test shoots and finance is truly my number one priority, then the time could be better spent elsewhere that is furthering my finances.
I can make lots of goals, but I'd soon drive myself mad and spread myself too thin if I couldn't be selective about which goal I should be pursuing when. That's the problem I've seen with myself recently. I have too many ideas and I'm trying to go after all of them at the same time. And when I can't satisfy my goals that I've set for them, I end up depressed that I haven't been successful. So what I'm saying is you have a lot of great ideas there. You really do. But don't burn yourself out trying to satisfy all of them at the same time. Pick and choose and set realistic, yet related, goals for yourself. That way a year from now you're not looking back and wondering why you didn't get things done. At least, that's how it would work for me anyway. So anyway, after my little rant...I'm off to go take my own advice!
All Comments
If you want something, follow your heart / head / gut. I believe everyone knows the best way to get there. Everything else is just semantics.
The key is to realize what's holding you back and take action to overcome that stumbling block. Maybe overcoming stumbling blocks can become a new pastime in itself. Moreover, perhaps you'll be free of stumbling blocks if you cleave through everything, and then you'll see the bigger scarier question:
What now?
In the meantime, don't get too hung up on specifics and time charts and Getting Things Done, because that's just another falsified reality. Instead, get excited about becoming Chris Brogan and let the rest fall into place around you, sir.
How are we supposed to leave our comments after you've said everything which we were going to say?
You are spot on - if I look back just one year at how things were going for me, if I were to have had a five year plan, it would certainly not have included what I am doing at this point in time.
Five year plans in my view are silly because you simply cannot know what other things are going to crop up and have an influence.
I think that I prefer setting more open-ended, yet less measureable goals for mysel, which might come pretty close to your multiple stream analogy.
For example, now one of my goals is to, "Make a difference to the New Media community."
----------------------------------------------------
change of thought
----------------------------------------------------
I had entered the above while sitting here drinking my first cup of coffee, then I became very introspective for a good half-hour and have realized that I'm afraid to make plans because it sets me up for possible failure....
- What if I cannot even meet goals which I've set for myself?
- How could I possibly be expected to meet the expectations which someone else might have for me if I cannot even meet my own expectations?
So I scroll back up to read Justin's comment - maybe that's my fear, maybe that's what is holding me back?? -
Am I somehow afraid of myself?
- If so, what part?
- - - My potential, or lack of it?
- - - - Do I really have passion or is it just a blindness to reality?
Maybe it's all just semantics then? Do I even really need to burn calories worrying about anything which I put in this comment?
Realty tends to go in 7 year cycles locally and nationally. Here in Boston, we're in year 2 of a 3 1/2 year decline. Knowing this means you know when roughly you should or should not buy.
Speaking of your finances, I have a brilliant idea. Let's do a collaboration between small boxes and the Financial Aid Podcast and do a One Page Budget intensive on video for all the world to see.
What are your plans for March?
I know VON starts on the 19th and you want to have something happening on the 18th too.
Is that going to be "Make My Own TV?"
The sooner you can let me know what that is the sooner I can make plans. Thanks!
I, too, have a few "streams" that I'd like to (nay, need to) get going. However, I can't think of them so generally. If I were to say, "Here are my streams. Today I'm going to do this so that I further this stream," I would get lost very quickly. I find that what works for me is to set map out my goals in a hierarchical manner. This way I know where my priorities are and how they relate to my other goals. For instance, one of my priorities is financial. That is...I like eating. So I need money to do so. Now if that is priority number 1, then all of my other goals must bend to it. Hence, doing test shoots, while a good use of time ordinarily, may not be a good use of time for me unless I'm guaranteed to be making money off of the back end from selling prints or such. Why? Because if I'm not making any money off of test shoots and finance is truly my number one priority, then the time could be better spent elsewhere that is furthering my finances.
I can make lots of goals, but I'd soon drive myself mad and spread myself too thin if I couldn't be selective about which goal I should be pursuing when. That's the problem I've seen with myself recently. I have too many ideas and I'm trying to go after all of them at the same time. And when I can't satisfy my goals that I've set for them, I end up depressed that I haven't been successful.
So what I'm saying is you have a lot of great ideas there. You really do. But don't burn yourself out trying to satisfy all of them at the same time. Pick and choose and set realistic, yet related, goals for yourself. That way a year from now you're not looking back and wondering why you didn't get things done. At least, that's how it would work for me anyway. So anyway, after my little rant...I'm off to go take my own advice!