on life plans, passion projects & reasons why
I've lived my life on survival mode for far too long, struggling to fully soak in the present. In my road to recovery, one thing I have been working on after avoiding life for this long is a life plan for every year. I exerted considerable effort to create a plan for the rest of 2024, to discover myself, my thoughts, and my visions for the future. (Going from survival mode to planning your future is a drastic change, so I urge you to take it slow.)
I do not yet have a 100% clear image of my plans, and I don't think I ever will. This is not to intimidate you, but to comfort you that you don’t have to figure it all out in one sitting. Life changes, you will change, and your goals will change. I am a firm believer that your goals do not emerge overnight. You will not have that "Oh, I want to be this!" out of nowhere. It needs time (And you have time).
I am actively creating & updating my life plan on an Excel spreadsheet. I chose Excel for a reason. Though I am a big fan of social media popularized productivity apps like Notion, I wanted something that was straightforward, simple, and doesn't let me think too much about the aesthetic of it all. Just my goals.
I categorized my life into four interest areas: Education & Career, Writing, Art, and Miscellaneous. Under each category, I list what I want to achieve, and I set a vague time frame. For example, under Education & Career, I plan on taking more QHSSE certifications, and I set a target date between May-July 2025, after my graduation.
As a self-certified perfectionist, I set up a few rules for my life plan, so I can abide by it without stressing: Be serious about it, but do not be strict. In my philosophy, there is a difference between seriousness and strictness. Take it seriously, as in build good discipline and consider your future a lifelong commitment to live the life you earnestly want. But do not be too strict. Life will take you through highs and low, to places you never considered before. Your goals may change, so be prepared to be flexible and to modify your plans accordingly.
What about my passion projects? I enjoy writing, and I have always dreamt of running a personal blog to ramble about mental health, productivity, art, and anything that interests me, and so I am testing it out through Bearblog. I also want to get my hands on as much artistic hobbies as possible. For now, I am working on improving my charcoal sketching skills. Next summer, I will start ceramics.
When it comes to passion projects, they are solely for my own personal fulfillment, pleasure, and relaxation. I am deliberate about not confusing passion projects as synonymous to side hustles. My passion projects are scrupulously not side hustles, not an end mean to fulfill any sort of financial obligation. This was salient advice from my therapist - that I need to find myself through passion projects, through things I love, without having to worry about generating any sort of income. My passion projects have been the reason I decided to stay alive: my reasons why.
And so, my advice to you, especially to those feeling aimless: Care.
Care about something: a hobby, a purpose, a lifelong goal. Pick one thing that is uniquely you, and care about it more than anything else in the whole world. Nurture it with time, effort, and love and watch it grow into something that you never envisioned. Watch how it will inspire you and how it will inspire others to become the same as you.