On Sticking to the Plan

Life will never go exactly how you plan.

That’s something that all of us come to realize at one point or another, especially if you’re the kind of person who has big dreams or goals. The realization that life moves of its own accord is a hard one.

So things won’t be exactly what you envisioned as a kid, or an adolescent or even as a young adult. The beauty and the blessing is in having a vision at all — in having the space and opportunity to think about what you want your life to be and how you can bring your vision to life.

The ability to plan means that you can adapt— you can change course, create new routes, establish new habits. Planning is a skill. It’s a way to map out a course to your ultimate destination, and just like actual maps they are constantly changing. New places being built, new routes discovered, new landmarks established.

Your plans, like any map, won’t have every single obstacle or way station marked. You’ll get sidetracked, you’ll take unplanned rest stops, you’ll have adventures and side quests. The plan is simply there to bring the vision and goal back to mind when those distractions inevitably occur.

Plans exist to help bring us back into alignment when sticking to the plan is no longer the plan. Having a map doesn’t require you to follow the route exactly. Neither does having a plan.

The freedom and the creativity is in letting go of the expectation for everything to go exactly as planned. Be okay with getting sidetracked, with wandering off and when you’re ready, revisit, reroute and keep it moving.