Why do you need to stop planning/thinking about your career?

Today I met with a young guy on squash court. He had not been regular and I saw him after several months. After the game he was very disappointed as I couldn't give any ball to him which he couldn't pick. He felt his session was a waste. He was brand manager working for a big brand company.

Anyways after the session got over, he asked me what are my plans for future. It was a bit odd as I wasn't prepared for the question but I tried hard to find an answer but I couldn't think about the future. I said "I can plan only for the day and by the evening I can start planning for tomorrow but not beyond that". He was quite amused and again asked me whether I was sure. I said seriously I cannot think about the future and making plans for it was even more difficult. All I want is to have a healthy life and have enough money for my retirement. His looks very still very perplexed.

I asked him when he was playing a game of squash and at that very moment, if I were to ask him as to what are his plans for the future how would he react. He was even more amused. " Why the hell will I think about future - I will be focusing and thinking about how to win the next point to win the game."

Obviously if you cannot think beyond what is the task in your hand i.e. winning the point then why would you or anyone else think about the future. At most you can think about the day or the next day or the project that you are working on. After my game gets over, I will think about lunch or the party I need to go to. Even then I have no business to think about future.

I asked him to share the name of a person who has achieved exactly (not more and not less) what he planned in his life and at the same time he wanted and his life went in the same direction that he wanted. While he was thinking, I asked him how has his life gone by in last 35 years. Whether he knew that he will be at a senior position working for a big company earning handsome salary. Did he plan his career like that? He began to smile.

I shared journey of my career with him. When I started, even in remotest of dreams I didn't think I will be where I am today. I have achieved tremendous gains and pains that I never thought I would. Yes, all of that was related to and attributed to the decisions I took. Doors opened when I thought they were closed and they closed when I thought it was a cake walk. The moment you start thinking about future, you do only one thing - i.e. waste your energies which ought to be going into the task or project on hand.

When each one of us actually ends up achieving more or less of what we think or we plan or we want, then isn't worrying about the future of our career so futile. Also each one of us gets our results in our career quicker or later than we think we ought to get, then isn't thinking about future is so futile. Haven't we not seen people losing their jobs for no fault of theirs or someone getting promoted completely out of turn. None of these events in their career can be attributed to what these people were thinking.

What ever stage of life that we are in, thinking about anything else other than the project or the task you have in hand is unnecessary and completely futile. Because whatever you think now for the future, is surely not going to happen the same way or at the time you think. Then cannot we stop thinking or planning for the future of our career.

It doesn't mean that if one shouldn't plan if your profile is about reshaping the future of company that you are working for. But don't plan or start thinking about what your personal future will look like working in that role.

Your career will go to heights or directions basis the time and dedication you put in the task that you have on hand. Planning for the future of your career is a waste as no one has seen that. It gets created each moment basis what you do now and not what you think. So can you please now stop thinking or worrying about your career or your next increment or your next promotion. If your task is to find a job, do that well, if your task is to appear for an interview, do that well and just think about that.