by Hope
I’ve been making list upon lists of what I want down the road, what my future will look like, what my personal goals are, both financial and otherwise. I have about filled a notebook with my scribbles and wandering thoughts.
As I begin to narrow down what I want, I have begun to make lists of how to get there.
So my question is, what does a 5 years plan look like? Is it just a bulleted list of goals? Does it include a breakdown of steps to achieve these goals?
I’ve become pretty good about setting baby step goals and achieving them. And as a project manager professionally, I am pretty good at scoping out longer term plans and goals, considering resources and other constraints.
What do I Want
I guess I’ve never sat down and thought too much about life after kids. Other than my desire to travel and thoughts of living in an RV someday…just really haven’t put too much thought into it. So this has been a fun and enlightening experience.
It’s also made for interesting discussions with the kids. Each of them have a different perspective on what they thought I would do and what they want me to do. But thankfully, I have become very clear in that this step, this plan is about my future, my security, my finances.
And in focusing on me, hopefully, I will free them from the burden of me in my latter years.
So, BAD community, what does your 5 year plan look like? Where do you keep it? What does it include? What does it not include? How detailed is it? Who do you share it with? And how often do you review and update it?
Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.
But life has a way of rewriting your plans.
A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.
Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.
Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.
She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.
