I met with a friend recently who shared with me the challenge of thinking about the future beyond this year. I understood because I coached lawyers who rarely thought about the future beyond the next week unless it was about a planned vacation.

Way back in 2006, I gave a presentation to the Texas State Bar Young Lawyers Association (TYLA). The title of the program was “Crossroads, Mapping out the Rest of Your Career.”

I liked the title because for me “crossroads” meant a defining moment and “mapping” meant the young lawyers would focus on a destination and the road to get there. I also wrote an article on the same subject for the Texas State Bar Journal. Here is the link.

I began by asking how many in the audience were completely satisfied with where they were in their career. Very few raised their hand. Then I talked about the future and what would be the appropriate map.

For too many of us, the road and the destination would be clear if we would simply take the time to consider our future.

So, take some time today and figure out if you’re working towards a goal, or being called to it. You might be happily surprised with your answer.