Who Needs a Five-Year Plan Anyway?

Hi friends,

Where do you see yourself in five years? God, how much I hate that question. I've never had a good answer for it, and every time I've tried, it felt phony. This isn't to say that thinking about your future self isn’t a helpful exercise, but it's impossible to predict what I'll be doing in five years from now. Five years ago, I would have never predicted that I would be doing what I'm doing now: posting videos online, sending this newsletter, and running my office's social media page. I used to hate being on camera, hearing my voice, and felt I had nothing valuable to share. Who knows what I'll be doing five years from now?

But there's a more interesting question that I often struggle with—not because it feels fraudulent, but because it challenges me to believe in something I don't yet have proof of: Can you see yourself as a published author? If becoming a published author isn't your goal, think of the hardest thing you're trying to achieve now. This question doesn't have a timeline, and it’s very specific. It asks if I can envision myself as the person I want to become. I see young published writers and wonder how they do it—walking around with their name on fancy covers, their books on shelves in stores and libraries. Often, I can't imagine myself as that person. I doubt my writing is good enough, question if I have interesting stories to tell, and have no clue how the publishing industry works. But none of these are actually matter, and some aren’t true.

We often tell ourselves stories to justify what we're not doing. We use access to information, tools, trainings, and even our background and age as resistance. I don't believe we'll achieve every goal before we're gone, but how we see and talk to ourselves greatly influences our daily actions. Overestimating your achievements and the person you aspire to be, even if you underdeliver, will propel you further than dwelling on negative self-talk, which only impedes achieving anything.

I'm not saying wake up each morning and sing affirmations songs in front of a mirror. But maintain a positive attitude toward yourself—even if you fail in what you're trying to do, at least you'll have loved yourself throughout the journey.

📖 Books I’m reading?

I’m reading Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I’m in the early chapters, and it’s already as disturbing as I imagined it to be. If you’re not familiar with the book, it's about a dystopian future where society is controlled through science and technology. People are bred and conditioned to fit into specific social roles, and numbed by a drug to maintain social stability.

If you liked 1984 by George Orwell, this one feels closer to home.

💎 New From Me

I posted a video about the book Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, and what it teaches about writing and life. It’s one of my favorite books of all time.

🔖 Quote I’m pondering

“Nothing I accept about myself can be used against me to diminish me.”

— Audre Lorde

📸 Through My Lens

Please give me feedback on the newsletter by replying to this email. Do you find it worth your time? What do you want more or less of? Or other suggestions?

Thank you for reading!

Mohamed