When you chose your college classes, did you also plan your life based on your courses?

I used to think choosing a particular class would move me into a particular major, which would put me into a particular field after college, which would decide decades of my life ahead.

By graduate school I would plan a bit under a decade ahead.

Starting my first company, I found predictions of the company’s direction five years ahead useless. Things changed too quickly and dramatically.

In recent years, I found the more I develop skills to improve my life, the less into the future I even think about, let alone plan.

A friend emailed me the other day

What do you hope to change in the next 5 years?

I responded

I don’t think on five-year time scales anymore. I find the more I understand how to improve my life, the shorter time scale I think on for planning it.

I consider this perspective related to my model to allow yourself to fail, which gives you freedom to succeed, which I recommend reading if you haven’t.

• ← People who succeeded despite adversity: the series
• When and how polarizing helps →