I am quite alrmed at the amount of people, not just the ladies, but most of you all have your life already planned out just when it is beginning. There is nothing wrong with 5 year plans, at all, in fact I think they are an a excellent idea only if you keep in mind that most 5 year plans will never turn out as you plan.
I was pissed off because I just lost the long response I was writing to this, but I just saw RockyMtnHigh's post.
I understand what Swifty is saying, but I think that line of thinking often discourages young people from making any substantial life plans at all. Why plan if it's futile?
In my own observations, outside circumstances don't usually cause plans to fail. Most people make life plans arbitrarily, based on little outside research and self-analysis. I think that the key to a successful life plan are the things that RockyMtnHigh mentioned-contemplating your personal purpose and vision- and where your strengths and interests fall in with that. Few people are willing to spend the time and effort to go through that self-analysis before making plans.