This is a "5 year plan" that I recently did for one of my classes. I've always been the type of person that takes life a one day at a time and thus I don't put much thought into what the future holds in 5 or 10 years. After a few weeks (I had all quarter to do this) of deep thinking, of looking into what I'm passionate about and how/what I want to do with my life; here's what I came up with...don't laugh!

The “Big Picture”
I’ve dedicated my 20s to exploring the world and enjoying the freedom of being able to wake up everyday and do whatever I feel like doing. I don’t plan to settle down until I’m at least 30. In five years I’ll be 27, which means if according to plan, I still have 3 more years to do random things. So my five year plan is more like a 7 ½ - 8 year plan. By the time I’m 29-30 I would like to own my own bakery/school.

I’ve always wanted to be a teacher since I was in first grade. Their ability to inspire and guide the future is amazing! I wanted to do just that. However, about two years ago while visiting a few of my former teachers I discovered that because of standardized testing; teaching is not what I used to be. Sadly, becoming a fulltime, hardcore teacher is out of the picture but there’s still a little desire deep down inside of me to teach something.

Baking is the drug that I’ve been passionately addicted to ever since second grade. It was the week before Christmas break and Mrs. Jolly taught the class to make sugar cookies. Mamma Mia! I’ve been hooked ever since.

Whatever you’ve received a lot of, you should give back. I feel very fortunate to have the privilege to live in a society that embraces individuality, uniqueness and freedom. I grew up in a loving family, and we always had food, clothes and shelter. I had wonderful teachers who always encouraged me to do my best; to never be good at something but be great at it. My aspiration is to give all of this back to less fortunate children in third world countries. Children are the future and if we want the future to change then we must take the initiative to educate the future. Teach them to not be afraid to question authority, to believe in themselves, embrace their individuality, be compassionate towards others, be open-minded to change and always have passion for what they do.

Back to my bakery/school thing... My plan is to eventually open a bakery and I’m going to call it Moi Passion La Vie or Passion for short. It’s going to be a European bakery with Asian flavors; the best of both worlds. Instead of hiring chefs, I’ll hire pastry students so I can teach them a thing or two while working for me and hopefully be able to inspire them to reach for the stars, the same way my teachers have inspired me. All of the profits will go towards building orphanages and schools for children in third world countries. With anytime left over I’ll teach a class on something, do fire dancing, acting, tailoring, wedding flowers; all of the stuff I’ve been doing…all on the side, to keep life interesting.

My rough, very rough 5 year plan:
1st year:
Take fire dancing lessons, work somewhere, probably a small bakeshop just for the experience.

2nd year:
Travel the world.

3rd year:
Learn to swim and then go to Hawaii, Florida or Mexico to swim with dolphins.

4th year:
Try to get a job doing pastries in a hotel, save some money. Try sky diving.

5thyear:
Start a catering business, with the money saved. Build up reputation, save more money. Meet my true love.

6th-8th year:
Open Moi Passion La Vie with money saved. Try to turn a profit within 1 ½ years of opening Passion. Use profits to fund schools for orphans in third world countries. Get married and adopt my first child by the time I’m 35. Write a book? Teach something?

I know I’m going to run into countless obstacles and a few things are probably not going to turn out as planned. But I’d rather do something and have it blow up in my face then to not do it and have to go through live wondering what if. Nothing is impossible when you’re fueled by passion.

Sounds good? Am I too ambitious?

Comments (5)

On 12:43 PM , Anonymous said...

Ooh! You're so talented! You can even plan your love life! (Your true love just turned 2 last Feb!) Why don't you learn swimming now TT? And gain some experiences about it before travelling? Thanks for good laugh TT . . . Someone You Know . . .

 
On 9:13 PM , Anonymous said...

Very lovely to see that someone so young(yes, you are!) has already planned ahead. Many who are older do not have the focus and drive that you do. Don't ever lose track of who you are! Another thing to remember is expect the unexpected; do not be disappointed if things don't turn out as planned. In life, there is always Plan B, C etc.
I miss your recipe postings!

 
On 9:34 PM , Anonymous said...

When I am Old I Will Wear Purple
by Jenny Joseph

When I am Old
I will wear Purple!
When I am an old woman,
I shall wear purple - -
With a red hat which doesn't go,
and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension
on brandy and summer gloves and satin sandles,
And say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
and gobble up samples in shops
and press alarm bells
and run with my stick along public railings,
and make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
and pick flowers in other people's gardens
and learn to spit!
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
and eat three pounds of sausages at ago,
or only bread and pickles for a week,
and hoard pens and pencils
and beermats and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry,
and pay our rent
and not swear in the street,
and set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner
and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me
are not too shocked and surprised
when suddenly I am old,
And start to wear purple!

 
On 11:46 AM , Beau Lotus 涟 said...

When I was younger I was quite a Communist in that I made 10, 20-year plans :-). And believe it or not I actually managed to follow quite a bit of them through.

Then when I was 22 something quite unplanned happened and I went through with it anyway and it made me realise that there is no one path to "success" in life and that while it is good to know what you want, it's also important to remain open to change and other possibilities.

I went more or less totally off track since then and it was a very different life that opened up to me, but I have almost no regrets. I've since learnt that there are no right or wrong decisions in life, only the courage to continue making more and more of them.

All the best!

 
On 8:39 AM , Anonymous said...

Sounds amazing. =]

Ambitious plans are the best, whether they're carried out in full or not.

Lovely to see an English language Viet food blog.