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.

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