I had a recent conversation with a friend, and they were upset about their life plan. “What’s the use of making a plan when it can all go wrong anyway? Why even bother with a plan in the first place?”

My answer was this…

Let’s say you are caught in an unexpected storm. You can’t stay where you are because it is crumbling rapidly under the weight of the storm. You know that the nearest bank of shelters is about 3 city blocks to the north of your current position. You start heading towards what you think is Shelter A. Along the way you stumble, you get blown off course, you trip over other people and then grab them up to come with you. At the end of your journey, you make it to the shelter. But you are in Shelter D, not Shelter A. Ultimately, your goal of getting to shelter was met, even though it was not exactly the one you were aiming for.

You had a plan. You knew what direction you wanted to go in, and you started heading in that direction. And even though you ended up slightly off-course, your overall goal was achieved. Without a plan, you are just walking around in the storm.

Arriving in a slightly different place than you originally planned is not defeat. It is a sign of flexibility. You were able to roll with the punches, take the tumbles and get back up, and GET THERE. What happens if you have no plan? No direction? No idea of where you want to go? When your current location falls apart (as all circumstances do over time), you could be going the wrong way, or you could end up stuck or trapped. You could have chosen to do nothing and sat in your current place, watching it crumble around you. None of those outcomes will get you closer to your goal. Don’t let the storm of life toss you around.

One more thing - remember those people you ran into and helped along the way? Your plan became their plan. You never know how you are impacting other people who are watching your journey.

As we continue in this “All-In August”, think about the direction you want your life to take. If you truly want to reach a goal, figure out what direction it is in and move towards it. As we said in last Monday’s blog, an object in motion tends to stay in motion.

Plan. Move. Make it there.

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