Post Holiday Greetings and Temp Job

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!  Hope it was a thankful one. 

In an interesting turn of events, after keeping this blog for almost a week, I obtained a temp job for the holiday season at UPS, which I start this coming Monday. I'm excited to be working, even overnight.  The blog will go on, as this job is not full time and doesn't satisfy the long term goals.  So today, when many people are out shopping for the holidays with money I don't have, I'm focusing on setting my goals for the next five years (and trying to finish my nanowrimo book!).

Having a temp job is a cool thing because buys me some time to work on a five year plan.  Most businesses have a strategic plan that describes what they want to do, where they want to go and how to implement it during a certain time. I think that we as individuals should also have one to manage certain goals.  They can include career, family, money, or spiritual - any goals you want to obtain.  When I was in college, I was religious about managing my college plan, outlining each class taken and what I would need to do to be finished in 4 years.  It definitely paid off.  

I noticed though, recently, since I've been unemployed, I've shied away from having a five year plan.  I know that I don't want to go into a job just to have one - I have to love it this time.  (Let me stop here and interject that this is a luxury to consider for some, for me it is mandatory that I don't end up 30 years down the line stuck not having really lived the way I want to.  The hits I take now, will pay off in the long run). 

Here are several five year plan resources:

The Path by Laurie Beth Jones
This book is a way to create the mission statement for your life.  It gives guided exercises that can help you along your journey.

Boxes and Arrows
This one is a list format for planning out the first 18 months of your plan.  It's good if you want to start slow.
http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/planning_your_future

Jeff Hiatt
Geared toward companies, it is a way of accessing where you are and focusing on what its necessary to make your goals more closely align with your work.
http://www.prosci.com/vis1.htm

Personal Goals
This one I think is the most specific.  
http://www.mindtools.com/page6.html

Feel free to be creative with your five year plans - I think I'm going to make an infographic (http://mashable.com/2011/07/13/visually/).





Good luck with your plan today!