i’ve always had a habit of thinking a few steps ahead. sometimes that means planning out next week. sometimes it’s a summer bucket list. but other times, it goes way further. i psychoanalyze exactly where a hobby might lead, or sketch my entire career trajectory — company, role, timeline — even the steps to get from point a to point z.
we’re taught that planning is important. and of course, it is. it’s helped me land opportunities i’m really grateful for. being intentional with my time, choosing what to focus on, and thinking a bit ahead has allowed me to find communities and people i may never have met otherwise.
but recently, i caught myself doing something else. i started analyzing the people i look up to — not just the ultra-successful, but also the admirable people who quietly show up in my life. i attempted to discern a pattern, trying to reverse-engineer how things worked out for them.
how did they make it? am i taking the right steps?
it always seems like they planned everything out — whether it was landing a dream job or pursuing a perfectly aligned hobby or passion. like every choice was intentional and every connection was deliberate.
but the more i think on it, the more i realize that’s not how it works.
the tweet that sparked all this —
when you really listen to people talk about how they got to where they are, their stories tend to sound organic. maybe they stumbled into something by accident. maybe they kept showing up because they liked it enough to not quit. maybe someone took a chance on them. or maybe they just didn’t overthink it.
i’m doing myself a disservice by trying to pattern match and plan every move.
even looking back on my own life, i couldn’t tell you exactly how i ended up where i am now. but i know it wasn’t because i followed a perfectly laid-out plan. it was because i poured time into something that felt exciting. something i wanted to keep doing. and eventually, people noticed. they shared opportunities. they gave feedback. they helped guide me without me even realizing it.
what’s shifted for me is the pressure to have it all figured out. i don’t need to reverse-engineer someone else's path to find my own.
i’ve stopped obsessing over the perfect plan. now, i simply follow what feels right and commit to it fully — that’s been enough to move the needle.
- manvi :)