In 100 years I will be dead and so will you. What will be left behind of the work you did this week? What about your life’s work?
I’ve been thinking about this since I heard of several Japanese companies having 250 year business plans. 250 years is a bit much for me so I’ve just gone for a 100 year medium-term one. I am fully aware that “no plan survives the battlefield” and think it’s vital to have one none the less.
This type of long-term thinking may seem shocking from a “quick-fix” Western point of view and utterly pointless from an ego-centric “what do I care, I’ll be dead” mentality. Short-term unsustainable thinking has been at the root of many of the world’s problems from the global economic downturn to environmental degradation. Note that “time-frames of consideration” usually increase developmentally(though this doesn’t mean people are not present in the moment) so this type of thinking shows a certain maturity.
In balance to my last post suggesting the lens of “would I still so this if I had a year to live?” can be useful, I would also suggest that asking “How does this fit into my 100 year business plan” is another good one. Is your work sustainable? Is it making a difference? If not, why bother?