What’s Your Vision for Yourself In 5 Years?

I recently met this interesting entrepreneur. She seemed to know her stuff at the tip of her fingers, but when I asked her where she saw herself in the next 5 years, she looked at me as if she was landing with a thud from the treetop. She fumbled a bit then confessed “I have actually not given it a thought.” Entrepreneurs are often confused by this question, yet the answer is not far.

Past Supamamas Event
Hang out with people who represent the kind of success you want to achieve.

“The person you’ll be in the next 5 years is determined by the people that you meet and the books that you read, “said Charlie Tremendous Jones. Who are the 5 people you spend most of your time with (excluding your spouse and children)? Are they better than you? Do they share your motivations? Do they share your ambitions? Do they act as a lift or as an anchor? Sifting your associations and deciding on who to drop, who to keep and whose association to seek is critical to your success.

According to Jim Rohn, we need to evaluate and sift our associations into 3 categories:

  • Those to disassociate from: these are people you need to break away from completely. It’s not easy since some of them are close friends or long term relations. However given the tremendous weight of their negative influence on your life, you need to muster the courage to sever yourself from their influence, and soonest.
  • The limited associations: a successful guy I know has put his many friends and relatives in various categories. Apart from his business associates who are also his closest friends, there are the ones he only talks to on phone or meets on rare occasions, those he goes out with whenever he feels like having fun and those he only entertains for a few minutes or a few hours.
  • The expanded associations: This is the fun and challenging part of the process. Find people who have been where you want to go and succeeded. People who represent the kind of success you want to achieve in terms of lifestyle, relationship, finances, even spirituality.

People you hang out with represent the most powerful yet subtle influence on you. They don’t pull you in a direction; they nudge you there unconsciously over a period of time. Choose them wisely. Then next time when you are asked about your vision for yourself in 5 years, you’ll just think about your friends and answer confidently.

Angela Kamanzi
Your Friend in Biashara

Blog flyer small

Comments

comments

About Angela

Angela Kamanzi is passionate about empowering African women through entrepreneurship. She is the publisher and founding editor of MKAZI, a digital magazine that offers solutions and tools to women who are starting up in business or taking their ventures to the next level. She is the founder of BizzRafiki-Your Friend in Biashara, a mentorship program which specialises in helping budding or aspiring women entrepreneurs start or grow high income business ventures from their passion. For more than ten years she contributed to a number of local and international publications as a freelance writer. She has 15 years of experience in entrepreneurship. She lives in Nairobi with her husband and their two sons. Her journey was featured on Lionesses of Africa, on AM Live NTV , in the Saturday Nation, on Supamamas website and Mummy Tales blog.

Check Also

Setting goals helps you take control of your life

Why Setting Goals is Important for You

When did you learn the importance of setting goals? For me, it was several years …