Planning as A Way of Life
The common belief is that planning helps us achieve our goals. And it also allows us to be efficient when it comes to our time and resources.
We are taught to always be ready and not to be lazy or fall behind. Many love planning and having things to look forward to in life. Because in this world, we tend to live mostly in the past or the future. Listen to stories people share and your own. You may observe we focus on what happened or anticipation of what will happen.
In preparing for an event or an important engagement, people play through scenarios and often rehearse. The goal is to make a good impression and be a success.
But this also creates a lot of anxiety when we need to plan every element. Is it a myth that we must always be in control?
Can we truly plan for every detail and prepare in advance for every scenario? When we’re planning for everything, are we simply limiting ourselves? Are we open to the unexpected?
As a former global strategist, planning was important with billion dollar businesses and internal chaos. It is helpful to do scenario planning. But there’s also a need to be present and in the moment. Isn’t that when innovation factors in?
What if We Can’t Plan to be Present?
Planning is important but over-planning can backfire. We may not be able to respond in real time to the unexpected. Being able to engage and be flexible is an important skill moving forward. Why? Because we are literally trekking into the unknown and there is no formula or blueprint, yet. We need to look beyond certainty and be ready to experiment.
This is why this is our time to give ourselves permission to be more spontaneous and present. We don’t have to rehearse and prepare for everything. When we are grounded, we are able to show up and adapt as needed.
When you are ready to live a full life as an explorer, you can put down your plan and be honest with yourself.
What is it that you want to explore and experiment with? What opportunities do you see? Will you trust in the unexpected?