Planning as a Safety Blanket

The worst question, that is also quite frankly pointless, is what are your plans for the next 5 years. One hears this question and goes wildly into fantasies of the perfect future, or as perfect as they think it will be in the humblest way possible. To study at your full potential in medicine, or work in a multinational company, or to start your own family with your faultless out-of-a-fairytale significant other are a few answers probably forced by older family members and the media, but after all, they are just phrases. They do not mention the endless nights you're going to stay up late working on a last-minute anatomy project while the bird's nest over your head turns white, as your whole body physically sleeps, leaving you drooling on your precious work and absent-mindedly awake. You don't mention the days your coffee runs out, or your tire dies out, on your way to work, so the best job that you've always expected to love doesn't sound as appealing any more, because, for some reason, your horrible boss thinks you aren't working enough too. Let's face it. We all know by now how characters in books have love and commitment that is as fictional as they are. We get so wrapped up in a world where everything is possible but is that really true? Things are possible to a certain extent, and when they aren't, what will we do then? That is the better question. Sometimes plans work, and other times, they don't. Some plans work, and some don't. Does that mean we should stop planning our future at all? No. It means we should plan with the idea that the world runs on possibilities and probabilities, which can ruin, fix, or better anything. If things were to swerve in another direction, we should learn to adapt, to stay safe and maintain our mental state. Building expectations, plans and dreams on no foundation to relieve the external pressure will do no good. Find what you want, plan, expect unplanned events and give yourself time.