“What’s your plan?”

That was the question I was asked soon after meeting Paul Harper, the ninth person I met as part of my project to have lunch with 500 strangers.

I wasn’t sure how to answer.

The two of us hit it off, which is why our conversation went so deep so fast. It’s not hard to bond with Paul: he’s smart, friendly and a great listener.

Paul was asking me about my newish business, Hunter & Scribe, and was intrigued to hear I’m working 80-hour weeks, so he asked a shrewd follow-up question:

“What’s your plan?”

In other words: why?

‘Why?’ is such a great question. Paul asks a lot of great questions.

We spent the rest of the lunch discussing my life plans, Paul’s life plans, his passion for health, and our shared interest in learning about the outside world and human behaviour.

Paul is a nutritionist, a naturopath and a personal trainer – which is why he ate salad. (I’m none of those things, which is why I chose pasta carbonara.)

Eventually, I returned serve: “So, what’s your life plan?” I asked.

Paul wasn’t sure either.

All we know is we both want to do a lot of travelling. That sounds like a good plan.