The Purpose of a Plan

Ever hear someone mention a goal, idea or objective only to distance themselves from it with a comment like, “I just don’t have the plan completely figured out” as if that gives them a free pass to remain still? It even sounds rational and practical, but that line of reasoning ignores a fundamental truth: you will never have a perfect plan. It’s kind of like people saying, “we are still waiting to have kids until we are ready.”

News flash: there will never be a “right time” to have someone invade your home, throw up on you, pee on your furniture and scream all night long until you have to get up for the day and only then decide to go to sleep ... well, at least for a few minutes until it’s time for them to wake up and throw up on you again. In the same way, there is no “perfect time” to set out to accomplish a major life goal. What’s more, there is no perfect plan either. It simply doesn’t exist. Like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or a free puppy, conceptually it’s a nice concept, but in practice, it’s a myth.

Does that mean plans are useless? Absolutely not! I just think we have misunderstood the purpose of a plan. A plan doesn’t outline all the details of a journey, nor is it designed to circumvent all the pitfalls and eliminate every risk and potential error. There are far too many variables in life for any plan to be perfectly comprehensive. A good plan is not supposed to mark out every step, it is meant to point you in the right direction and get you started. It doesn’t pave the path. A good plan gets you moving.

Comments

Toxic Humility

We have all seen false humility: the guy who tries to hide his arrogance with feigned modesty. It’s usually pretty obvious and always obnoxious. But there is also another variation of false humility out there: toxic humility. This is often displayed in self-deprecating talk and a lack of self-confidence, belittling or undermining one’s own talents and abilities. The danger in this kind of behavior is twofold: it is too often accepted as true humility and like a virus, it spreads doubt and disbelief. To clarify, it is not that the bearer of this toxic humility isn’t honest about his view of himself. That is the very issue: he absolutely believes he has little value or utility. He thinks downplaying his own worth is humility but I disagree. CS Lewis said it best when he wrote, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking about yourself less.” His point being, true humility is not an ever-present raincloud of self-doubt that follows you around. It’s a focus on

Glutton for Punishment

I’ve learned over the years that being comfortable can be a dangerous thing. I try to find paths to discomfort to push me out of my realm of “safety.” However, I have noticed my ability to develop comfort zones amidst discomfort. I’ve found ways to be comfortable in uncomfortable circumstances. I wonder, do I need to be stretched beyond those areas as well? One of the areas in which I have adapted to the discomfort is the gym. I don’t go to the gym to exercise, to get stronger or even to be healthier. It’s grown beyond that. Now, I go to the gym to clear my head by testing my will and resolve. I do it to see how hard I can push my limits and I strive to outwork everyone else there. I may not be the strongest, the fastest or the fittest. I may not lift the most weight or even do the most reps – I can’t control any of those variables – but I can control my effort. So one of my goals for each workout is to unleash more effort than anyone else at the gym. But along with this

Commitment

You know what the problem is with a lot of goals and grand plans? They are mostly fueled by emotion rather than commitment. It is why most New Year’s Resolutions are long forgotten by now and many aspirations quietly fizzle out over time. True commitment is sticking with the effort even – if and especially when – the emotion has diminished or disappeared. Emotion can be a great initiator of action, like kindling on a fire, but it lacks staying power. Commitment is the logs that keep the fire burning long after the kindling is consumed. The butterflies after falling in love, the best intentions of waking up at 4:30am every day to work out after you join a new gym, the excitement of your first day on campus, even the sleep-deprivation induced euphoria of a new baby: all kindling. But it is commitment that keeps you working hard on the marriage twenty-three years after “I do.” It is what causes you to keep going when you do not want to make one more sales call, do one more presentat

Mindset Matters

Search This Blog