SHOWER THOUGHTS Entry #1 - Where do you see yourself in five years?

They say your best ideas come to your mind while you are in the shower. As the water sounds like gentle rain and while you’re lathering up, a flash of idea will enter your brain – could be the song lyrics which you have forgotten, the solution to a problem at work, a brilliant idea you would want to share with your team, or just random thoughts which could be some nonsense, or some ideas so deep you never thought your brain could handle.

As I spend a lot of time in the bathroom just thinking and staring at the bathroom walls especially in the morning before going to work, and as I think about what to post in Steemit, I decided to create a series called “Shower Thoughts.” The series will both contain nonsense ideas and some very deep ones. And yes, I thought about this idea while I was in the shower. And here’s the first entry.

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“Where do you see yourself in five years?”
I was first asked this question around 12 years ago, during my very first job interview, and I’ve heard it so many times since then. You mostly hear this question from employers, but you will rarely hear it from your friends or family. Moreover, I guess this question is mostly asked from fresh graduates who are overflowing with energy and ambition.

When an employer asks you this, there will be a few things running in your mind the very second you hear the question. “Being successful”, “having my own family”, “having my dream house”, “having my dream car”, “still employed in this prestigious company” are the most common answers. I look at these answers as the easy-way-out-answers, or the safe answers. Why, you are not given an hour to think about your answer, and while some may have prepared the answer to this question, saying it out loud is different. The interviewer might not really be interested in your answer, as they’ve probably heard it a million times already.

As for me, I went for the safe, easy-way-out answers in the countless job interviews that I had. Fortunately, as you grow old and move up the ladder, you will be able to dodge this question, as interviews will focus more on your achievements and experiences, and probably asking this question to someone who has moved up the ranks will be awkward.

While this question only contains 8 words, the answer to this could be difficult, if you were given the chance to think about it thoroughly, especially if you were the one to ask this to yourself after a decade of working. Eight simple words, which could be scary enough if you think about what the future holds.

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So, did any of my safe answers come true after 5 years? Not really. While I am not in a job that I have envisioned myself being into, I consider myself successful at work, having proven myself a lot of times. I still don’t have my own family, I don’t have my dream house yet. I was able to buy my own car only after 10 years of working.

But, when I was answering that question, I haven’t realized then that I will be a frequent traveler, that I will be able to go to different places with friends and family, that I will get to meet different people, that I will get to find love and true friends along the way. That in itself is a one hell of an accomplishment for me. After all, life changes day by day, our priorities change in the long run, and what makes us happy today might not be the thing that makes us happy tomorrow.

Then again, if I were to ask myself where do I see myself in five years, I might not be able to answer, as thinking about it now scares me.

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