There are so many things in life to be planned. What if something doesn’t go according to plan? Is the solution to plan better, or to not plan in the first place?
It doesn’t matter if things don’t go as anticipated when there is no plan, to begin with. It can be refreshing to have no plan. There’s nothing to worry about — anything could happen.
But sometimes planning is necessary. Without it, many things couldn’t happen.
In filmmaking, pre-production is the most important step to making a great film. Pre-production is all about planning and preparing — if the director doesn’t know who is going to act in their film how can that film be made?
The average Hollywood film has a crew of 588 people, and if those 588 people didn’t know exactly what they were supposed to do and when they were supposed to do it, the film would never be made. It takes careful planning and preparation to create a film.
In a similar way, people need planning and preparation in order to achieve their goals and make progress in their lives.
No one wants to fail. Even though there are beneficial lessons from failing, it isn’t pleasant. Failing can be avoided by preparing and planning. If someone doesn’t want to fail a test, they should probably prepare to take it.
Planning can be as simple as setting a goal or deciding to do something. It doesn’t have to be an overly thought-out game plan for life — it should be a natural response to a vision or idea that someone has. If someone wants to learn how to play an instrument, they should plan on learning it. If they want to design an app, they should learn to code.
Planning is great, and it is almost always a good idea to plan, but plans don’t always turn out.
Much of life is undetermined, so accepting uncertainty can be a good thing. It’s OK to not know something. There are many things in life that can’t be fully understood or known.
It’s unsettling not to know everything that may or may not happen — but it’s OK.
Someone can plan out every detail of their life and things will still go differently than expected. Sometimes it’s good when things don’t go according to plan. A new unexpected opportunity or friendship can be refreshing — there are limitless possibilities and potentials in life.
In order for a plan to work optimally, it must be paired with flexibility. Planning on its own can be boring or too static. But when plans are made with a flexible mindset, they are the perfect foundation for the future.
The best thing to do is to set a goal, but also be flexible. Hold plans with open hands. It’s OK if things change, people change all the time — be ready to let go of old plans and embrace new possibilities, but also stick to the plans that have been established if there’s no reason to deviate. Change is a good thing, and plans should help facilitate change.
Plan with flexibility and enjoy whatever life may bring.
Andrew Brand
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