5 Year Plan in an Ideal Life

I’ve always liked making plans. It’s a great way to get my thoughts in order and simultaneously it’s a first step towards turning that very plan into reality.

If everything were to go perfectly in life, we would always get what we want and we’d always stick to our plans. But life – more often than not – has other plans. And there are many variables that are beyond our control.

So this is just what I would do in the next 5 years if everything goes as planned.

Master’s Degree

I’m about to finish my undergrad studies this summer. So I’m at a point in life where most people will decide if they want to engage in further studies or start their working career.

For me this decision was pretty easy. Since I had mapped out what I wanted to do as a master’s degree as soon as I had started my bachelor’s, I knew that I wanted to continue studying.

However, things are not always that easy. For example, there is the number one concern: I might not get in. They only accept 15 people per year in my program of choice, which slims down my chances significantly. Despite the low chance of success, I’m going to apply anyway because if I don’t apply at all the chances are even lower (as in non-existent). To ensure I can continue studying at all, I’ll have to apply to many other schools and slightly different degrees as a backup plan.

This way I’m still not giving up hope that I’ll get into my program of choice. But I also won’t have any regrets since I’ll have something to fall back on.

Duration: 2 years

Studying Psychology

I’ve played with the thought of studying psychology for a while now. For a couple of different reasons.

I have a degree in nutrition and from what I can tell, psychology plays a big role in how we eat, why we eat and if we eat. So by studying psychology I hope to expand my understanding of nutrition.

Apart from that, I’m just simply interested in people. I was one of those kids who always enjoyed sitting on the sidelines watching others play. Partly because I was shy. But mainly because I liked to see how they reacted in certain situations and wanted to understand why some kids were more popular than others.

Anyways, in a perfect world, I will start studying psychology at a distance university at the same time as I’m working on my masters.

Duration: 3 years

Working from home

I’m working towards becoming financially independent and stable – as soon as I possibly can. For now I work as an extra from time to time, but that is not a viable option at the moment (since everything got cancelled due to the ongoing crises). And it doesn’t provide me with a stable income.

My optimal solution would be working from home. It would give me enough flexibility to pursue my studies and make a living at the same time.

I’m not sure about the specifics yet, but I’m planning to try as many online businesses and work-from-home-options as I can, until I find one that suits me. And I’m planning to take you with me in an upcoming series.

Duration: as long as possible

World trip

Traveling around the world seems to be a dream for many. And I know lots of people who have a world trip at the top of their bucket list but postpone it to retirement.

That’s an option, but in my humble opinion, it’s not the best one.

More often than not, life is not fair and lots of adventurous spirits can’t take on their world trip once they are retired. It might be because of declining fitness, financial concerns or a weakening desire for adventure. The reasons are plentiful (and justified), but I don’t want to join that group when I retire.

Because of that and in consideration of many travel reports, I think the optimal time for a world trip is after graduation. For me that would be in two years (since I can do the work for the distance university… well… from a distance).

I have many countries on my bucket list and I don’t want to rush it, so I would take at least one year for the trip. If we’re getting super aspirational I would take a year to visit each continent. But I have to stay somewhat realistic to be able to even call this a ‘plan‘ so let’s stick with one or two years for now.

Duration: 1-2 years

What is left?

This leaves me with 1-2 years to plan. How are we going to spend those?

Assuming that my adventurous spirit has calmed down a little after that time, I could imagine starting a regular job.

I could also see myself working independently.

I’m sure I could be happy with both. So I guess the remaining time would be spent on starting my working career.

However, if the ‘working online’ strategy worked out before, I’d love to continue a life as a digital nomad.

Reality Check

Personally I don’t find this to be too wild. Most of it seems possible and since this is the ‘ideal’ version of my life, I’m obviously more than willing to work hard towards making it come true.

The main issue I see is money. Working from home and/or as a digital nomad has many perks but it doesn’t always end up being a successful path for everyone.

Wether or not I can embark on my world trip will depend on that. So stay tuned for a series of “working online”-attempts that will come your way soon.

What is your ideal 5 year plan?

I’d love to hear from you! How would you spend the next five years if everything would be under your control? Are you a realist or a dreamer or a realistic dreamer? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.