But you need to be prepared to seize opportunities that are congruent with your aspirations; in fact sometimes you need to make these opportunities happen.
Planning therefore is important, but because so many things in between happen, your plan should consist of a far reaching vision so as to allow you to learn along the way, including taking paths that may end up in temporary setbacks. If you don't fail, you don't learn.
And while you're learning, your attitude and world understanding constantly changes so much that you trash the plans of naive older self almost yearly, no?
Absolutely true.
I have changed and changed and changed, and keep changing my world view over time.
Some of my core principles though (honesty, fairness, empathy, strong family ties, etc.) remain; and hopefully will stay this way forever :).
Planning therefore is important, but because so many things in between happen, your plan should consist of a far reaching vision so as to allow you to learn along the way, including taking paths that may end up in temporary setbacks. If you don't fail, you don't learn.