Would a thought exercise like "10 years from now" work?

I saw a video recently that suggested the following:

Write up a story about your life 5 years from now with the understanding that you cannot possibly fail

It’s pitch was that such a story will help figure out the first steps, however small, you need to take to move towards your goals.

I haven’t (yet) written this down because I have an apprehension whether this would work. When I look back at my life, I didn’t have such a story. I am where I am because of luck, some arbitrary opportunities that came along my way and my preparedness for those opportunities. However, I didn’t know the concrete stuff I was preparing for before those opportunities popped up.

Said another way, life is non-linear, so there is little chance that a story you create will pan out as is. So, what’s the point?

Maybe the point of the story is to be a compass: direct your high level actions towards some purpose that you choose today. That makes sense, I guess?