Five year plan?

Last week, in my Executive Coaching session, which I sometimes refer to as therapy, my Coach asked me, "What do I see for myself in the next five years?" It threw me a little because normally, this is an exercise for the newly graduated student - high school or college - just starting out in the business world. Not a seasoned executive who has 30+ years in her career. But as I have thought about this assignment for the past week, I have a few thoughts I would like to share.

As you know, since I started this newsletter in late 2022, I have been on a journey of self-discovery and an journey to figure out what comes next. I am very happy to report that I have found a good space with Clearlink Partners and I am very happy with my career. However, I did not expect the shift in my career to have such a significant impact on my personal and community life. Thinking back, of course it would impact all aspects of my life, but I am still surprised by it.

First - I went from traveling nearly 30 weeks a year to almost no work travel. Last year I had two team meetings and two conferences for the entire year. And when you are at home most of the time, remote work status, no business travel and not very many external meetings, things can become very predictable and lonely.

• Predictable - for the first time in a very long time I can commit to things that take place every week - like Barre and Pilates Classes at a local studio; enrolling in a pottery class that is 6 weeks long; making dinner and eating real food regularly with my husband. This has been a very fulfilling change for me.
• Lonely - There are days that go by that I do not see another human being in person other than my husband. As an extravert, this can be very hard on me and on him as he is my only outlet for verbal processing, having non-business conversations and entertaining my wild imagination of what is possible.

Second, I also do not lead a team. I am a team of one with great colleagues but no management responsibilities. This is the first time in a long time that I am solely responsible for only myself. I also have no children at home and my dog is very worried about my excessive attention on him.

Both of these changes have left me to truly, for the first time, take inventory of what is valuable to me and what truly brings me happiness and joy.

Here's what I have concluded so far -

1. My husband is truly my favorite person. It is easy in a relationship to loose sight of why you chose a person and why and what you love about them when you are constantly passing each other. It's also hard to truly dive into topics when you are talking mostly with text or phone. This past year I have had the privilege to get to know Nate on a deeper level than ever before and he is still my favorite person. And I love being a grandparent with him and watching our Son, Daughter-in-law and Granddaughter grow as a family.
2. I value my alone time. I cannot remember having a lot of alone time in the past and now I think hard about making plans unless it is with people that I truly love and value. I am getting more comfortable with myself and being alone. And I truly like the person I am and the person I am becoming.
3. I love having hobbies and time to learn new things. Gardening, painting, quilting, pottery and reading have all filled my life over the past year in a way that I have never had time or even a thought about. I have met new people through these outlets and have learned from others. It is also wonderful when a family member or friend is interested in the same thing and I am able to share these experiences with them.
4. Travel can be fun. When you travel a lot for work, the shine of going to new places dulls quickly - at least it did for me. Many times on work travel I would go from airport to hotel to airport without any time to explore. When you travel with family and friends for fun and exploration - there is a level of fun and excitement that is coming back and I am embracing the notion of going places again.

So to answer my Coach's question - I want these four things to be a big part of my life in the next five years. Lots of time with my husband and family, ample down time for me to be comfortable within my own skin, hobbies and like-minded people to share them, and adventure and exploration to new places.

What do you see for yourself in your 5 year plan?

k-