Guest Contributor Dr. Amelia Duran-Stanton
As we approach the new year, many of us start thinking about the resolutions we’ll make and the goals we’ll set. But if you’re like most people, your resolutions may often fall by the wayside as the year progresses. You may start with enthusiasm, but somewhere along the way, life’s challenges, distractions, and unexpected twists derail your plans.
In my own journey—both personal and professional—I’ve realized that part of the reason we struggle with goal-setting is that we tend to plan only by looking ahead. We focus on what we want in the future, without considering where we are right now or how we can actually align our current actions with long-term success. It wasn’t until I shifted my approach and began planning backwards—starting with a vision of my future self—that I was able to create a clear and purposeful path toward achieving my goals.
That’s what I want to share with you today: How to envision your life’s future, plan backwards, and implement for the future now.
The Conventional Approach: Plan Ahead and Hope for the Best
When we’re told to plan ahead, it’s usually in the context of setting resolutions: Get more fit, advance in our careers, improve relationships, or take up new hobbies. We chart out how to get from here to there, often with great intentions, but without a solid connection between where we are today and the steps required to meet the long-term goal. We focus on what we want to achieve in a specific year, but when things inevitably don’t go as planned, we often feel overwhelmed, unsure, or like we’ve failed.
I’ve seen this in my own experience over the past 32 years in the military. Like many people, I would set ambitious goals, whether for my career or personal life, but the external environment—deployments, unexpected assignments, family obligations—often threw those goals off course. At first, I felt reactive, constantly adjusting to external forces instead of strategically preparing for what was to come.
It wasn’t until I started to flip the traditional approach and plan backwards, by envisioning my life 30 years into the future, that things began to click into place.
The Shift: Envision the Future and Plan Backwards
Backward planning is a simple but powerful technique that involves starting with your long-term vision and working backwards to identify the key steps you need to take now to get there. It’s about envisioning your future self—what you want your life, career, relationships, and impact to look like—and then figuring out what actions, decisions, and milestones you need to take along the way to bring that vision into reality.
For me, it started by asking myself: What do I want to accomplish in 30 years? When I envisioned my life three decades down the road, I thought about what kind of legacy I wanted to leave, what values I wanted to uphold, and what kind of impact I wanted to have on the world around me. From that big picture, I was able to break things down into more manageable 20-year, 10-year, and 5-year milestones.
By working backward, I was able to identify the steps I needed to take in the here and now to create the life I envisioned in the future. It became clear that, in order to achieve long-term success and fulfillment, I had to begin by making small, strategic changes today, rather than waiting for some mythical “perfect” moment to begin.
Realizing the Benefits: Clarifying Values and Aligning Actions
This backward approach has had multiple benefits in my life. Not only has it made it easier to set actionable, realistic goals, but it has also helped me clarify my values, passions, and priorities. For example, I realized that my military career was important to me, but I also wanted to create a lasting legacy through coaching and mentoring other women. By breaking down my 30-year vision into milestones, I could align my actions with both my professional and personal goals.
The other benefit of backward planning is that it keeps you on track. I no longer set goals with the hope that things will “just work out.” I now set specific milestones, including family time, health goals, and professional accomplishments, that align with my broader life’s mission.
It’s a process that has worked for me—helping me earn my PhD, build a career in the U.S. Army, and write my book The LOTUS Within, which aims to help women prioritize their passions and well-being while still juggling multiple responsibilities.
The Key Takeaways: How to Apply This Approach to Your Own Life
If you want to take a more strategic approach to achieving your goals in 2025 and beyond, here’s a simple step-by-step process to get you started with backward planning:
- Define Your 30-Year Vision
Start by thinking about where you want to be 30 years from now. What do you want your life to look like? What do you want to have achieved? What kind of person do you want to be? Your vision should be broad and reflect your deepest values and passions. - Break It Down
Once you have a clear 30-year vision, break it down into 20-year, 10-year, and 5-year milestones. These are the key markers that will indicate whether you’re on the right track to achieving your big-picture goals. - Plan Annual Steps
From those milestones, create actionable, yearly goals. What specific steps do you need to take this year to meet your 5-year, 10-year, and 20-year milestones? By setting yearly goals that align with your long-term vision, you can ensure that every decision you make is moving you closer to your ultimate destination. - Integrate Your Life
Remember, your plans should not just focus on career or professional milestones. Make sure your goals incorporate your family, relationships, health, and community. True fulfillment comes from living a well-rounded life, where your personal and professional goals complement one another.
Moving Forward with Purpose
By envisioning your future and planning backwards, you can create a roadmap that not only helps you meet your goals but also aligns your actions with your deeper life purpose. Start now by taking a moment to define your 30-year vision and work backward from there. It’s a method I’ve used for years and one that has helped me stay grounded, focused, and fulfilled despite the many challenges life throws my way.
As you look toward 2025 and beyond, take the time to plan backwards. The future is waiting for you—and now is the time to start building the life you’ve always dreamed of.
Disclaimer: The author’s views are theirs and do not reflect the official policy of the United States Army, Department of Defense or the US Government.
Dr. Amelia Duran-Stanton (www.ameliads.com) author of The LOTUS Within: Grow Your Purpose and Ignite Your Passion, was born in the Philippines. She is a colonel in the US Army and has served for over thirty-two years, which includes eight years enlisted, with deployments to Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and twenty-four years as a PA (physician assistant /associate). She holds a PhD in postsecondary and adult education and a doctor of science in PA studies in orthopedics. She is certified as a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt with multiple awards and decorations. She has mentored, coached, sponsored, and taught several women over the years. She has published over 100 articles and presentations, with topics ranging from medicine and mentorship to management.