By analysing the year that just ended, you’re able to project the next five years ahead.
On January 1st, I hit pause on my holiday mode to do an exercise that would allow me to project my life for the next five years and, doing that, was the best decision I could have made.
Designers tend to be genuinely optimistic people, although this is hardly ever mentioned. We have to be. We don’t normally know where we are going with a project, all we have to start is a vision. We have no idea how to get there, but we roll up our sleeves and believe in our inner compass to drive us to the final destination.
As designers, we know that a possibility must be treated as a certainty; a possibility is a chance for you to do a good job in something.
What if we could project our lives? If we could unite intention and fate? What if we could explore all the possibilities in our desired futures?
I would like to wish you a happy 2019 by inviting you to do this amazing exercise created by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans on their book “Designing Your Life“.
The Odyssey Plans
What Is It? A way for you to project three different versions for your next five years.
How Come? Generally speaking, we can become quite content with the fact that we only have one possible life ahead of us, as if it is a given. Understanding that there is a possibility of exploring different versions of your future will help you choose what the best path is for you. The future is merely a perception; it isn’t yet a reality and, because of that, you have the power to mould it.
How To Do It: When Odyssey Planning, you will graphically represent three versions of your life for the next five years.
Your first Odyssey Plan should be something that is already set to happen, the obvious choice if you will.
The second Odyssey Plan is a plan B; an alternative in case your first plan doesn’t pan out.
The third Odyssey Plan is the crazy plan. Imagine yourself to be completely free of restrictions. With all the resources in the world and nothing holding you back, what would your next five years look like?
To help you through this journey, download the Odyssey Sheets here.
I hope you enjoy exploring your future opportunities (and opportunities of futures), it’s fun!
”Nobody really knows what he or she wants to be… What people need is a process—a design process—for figuring out what they want, whom they want to grow into, and how to create a life they love.” ― Bill Burnett, Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life
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