The Five-Year Plan

The strategic planning session began at 7:11 AM.

This was already a mistake.

Aditi 2 had prepared a presentation.

Aditi 1 had brought coffee.

Aditi 3 had brought absolutely nothing except opinions.

Aditi 2: Thank you all for joining.

Aditi 1: It’s literally just us.

Aditi 2: Please maintain professionalism.

Aditi 1: No.

Aditi 2 clicked to the first slide.

FIVE-YEAR PLAN

Aditi 3: I hate it already.

Aditi 2: You haven’t seen it.

Aditi 3: I know.

Aditi 2: Let’s discuss where we want to be in five years.

Aditi 1: Emotionally?

Aditi 2: No.

Aditi 3: Spiritually?

Aditi 2: Also no.

Aditi 1: Then what’s the point?

Aditi 2: Financially.

Aditi 3: Oh.

Aditi 1: Boring.

Aditi 2: Necessary.

She advanced to the next slide.

OBJECTIVES

Financial Independence

Meaningful Work

Personal Fulfillment

The room became quiet.

Aditi 3: Those are actually pretty good.

Aditi 1: Agreed.

Aditi 2: Thank you.

Aditi 1: What’s personal fulfillment?

Aditi 2: I don’t know.

Aditi 3: Interesting.

Aditi 2: I know it’s important.

Aditi 1: But you don’t know what it is.

Aditi 2: Correct.

Aditi 3: That’s very on-brand.

Aditi 2 ignored her.

Aditi 2: Let’s go around the room.

Where do you see us in five years?

Aditi 1: Easy.

Aditi 2: Go ahead.

Aditi 1: In love.

Aditi 2: That’s not a plan.

Aditi 1: It’s my plan.

Aditi 2: Anything else?

Aditi 1: A beautiful apartment.

Aditi 2: Reasonable.

Aditi 1: Dinner parties.

Aditi 2: Reasonable.

Aditi 1: Someone stealing fries off my plate.

Aditi 2: We’re moving away from measurable goals.

Aditi 1: I think you’re moving away from love.

Aditi 2: Next.

Aditi 3: My turn.

Aditi 2: Please.

Aditi 3: A studio.

Aditi 2: We already have a studio.

Aditi 3: Bigger.

Aditi 2: Of course.

Aditi 3: A thriving candle company.

Aditi 2: Good.

Aditi 3: Gardens.

Aditi 2: How many?

Aditi 3: Yes.

Aditi 2: That’s not a number.

Aditi 3: It is in my heart.

Aditi 2: Noted.

Aditi 3: And I’d like to spend more time making things.

Aditi 2 paused.

That one sounded serious.

Aditi 2: Fair.

Aditi 3: Thank you.

Aditi 2: My turn.

The room braced itself.

Aditi 2: Financial security.

Aditi 1: Predictable.

Aditi 2: Freedom.

Aditi 3: Interesting.

Aditi 2: Ownership of our time.

Aditi 1: Interesting.

Aditi 2: The ability to choose what we work on.

The room grew quiet again.

Aditi 3: Wait.

Aditi 1: Wait.

Aditi 2: What?

Aditi 1: That’s what I want.

Aditi 3: Me too.

Aditi 2: No it isn’t.

Aditi 3: Yes it is.

Aditi 1: Actually, yes.

Aditi 2: You both gave completely different answers.

Aditi 1: No.

Aditi 3: We just described the same thing differently.

Aditi 2 sat back.

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Aditi 1 wanted love.

Aditi 3 wanted creation.

Aditi 2 wanted freedom.

Three separate goals.

Or so she had thought.

Aditi 3: Maybe we’re all trying to build the same life.

Aditi 1: Just from different directions.

Aditi 2: Huh.

The meeting unexpectedly achieved alignment.

This had never happened before.

Nobody knew what to do next.

Aditi 1: Should we celebrate?

Aditi 3: Absolutely.

Aditi 2: How?

Aditi 3: I have an idea.

Aditi 2: No.

Aditi 3: You haven’t heard it.

Aditi 2: I don’t need to.

Aditi 3: What if we buy plants?

Aditi 2: Meeting adjourned.

Narrator:

The meeting was adjourned at 7:48 AM.

Plants were purchased at 8:12 AM.

End of Chapter 3.