Tag: planning

Categories
Bible Proverbs

Proverbs 16:9

We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps. Proverbs 16:9

We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.

Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)

Proverbs 16:9 reminds me while it is good to plan, there are things I cannot predict, nor prepare for.

That may not feel very comfortable. Good and bad things happen every day. Layoffs, tough breaks, and a worldwide pandemic are just a few items that don’t make us feel great.

We can debate why things happen or if they ever should occur. But in the end, It is foolish to fight the unexpected things we can’t influence.

Lots of change will come into our lives.

  • Some of it will be good
  • Some of it will be uncomfortable
  • There will be unexpected twists and turns
  • One or two can be happy accidents
  • Others can feel tragic and unfair
  • Then there will be some that will make us shake our heads and roll our eyes

I choose to embrace the change God brings into my life. I will continue to plan and prepare for what I can foresee. But there are events, mishaps, and surprises no one can predict. It is best for me to know what I can control and make positive changes, while I let go of what is simply out of my jurisdiction.

Categories
Business motivation

Transitions: The Waiting is the Smartest Part

When I read this Inc.com article about United Airlines and the importance of smooth leadership transitions in business, I was impressed by how a CEO and leadership had the wherewithal to leave a business on good footing. What was more impressive is that the transition has occurred during the coronavirus pandemic and that by outside observations, it has been a smooth transition from to Oscar Munoz to Scott Kirby.

All airlines have had some rough times lately. What would have happened if the former CEO didn’t have a plan? Would United be in a much rougher spot? Would Munoz have been forced to stay on while the crisis dragged on?

Transition plans matter, but can be tough to plan and implement. It forces the leader to acknowledge they won’t be there forever. It is why Summer Redstone of Viacom and Rupert Murdoch of News Corp have had such a hard time with it. Their egos and the required humility to face your mortality can be too much for many leaders, especially if they founded the company.

But if you want an entity that will outlast you, a healthy, thoughtful transition is necessary.

Categories
motivation

How can I Improve My Economy?

Cartoon of a boy with a bandage over a dollar bill. he says to his dad, "Now that I fixed the economy, can we talk about something else?"

The current crises with the novel coronavirus may cause you to ask, “How can I improve my financial outlook during the COVID-19 outbreak?”

We’ve been through economic hardship before. When I drew this cartoon, we were going through the last economic crisis thanks to the housing bubble and junk mortgages. Many people found they owed more on their homes than they were worth. It definitely affected the 2008 election.

That felt overwhelming. Now we face a new economic crisis. According to The Wall Street Journal, this may be the worst downturn since the 1940s. Many businesses have been shuttered for over a month. There cautious talk about opening businesses. Yet, the virus that has dominated our thoughts for weeks is far from conquered. While some governments are allowing businesses to open, some business owners have chosen to stay closed because they feel it is too soon.

How can I improve my economy when everything feels so uncertain right now?

There are a few lessons I learned from the last financial crisis.

  • Focus on the things you can control
    • You can control your attitude
    • You can control your outlook
    • You can practice safe distancing and hygiene to prevent this virus from spreading
    • You can control how kind and helpful you are to others
    • You can plan for the future
    • You can change tactics even if it feels uncomfortable
    • You can make a situation worse or better by your actions
    • You can limit your news consumption so you’re not listening to the same doom and gloom for hours on end
    • You can listen to positive, uplifting music, audiobooks or podcasts
  • Let go of the things you can’t control
    • You can’t control nature
      • today’s weather
      • the novel coronavirus
      • that skunk on your biking trail
    • You can’t control another person’s actions or reactions
    • You can’t control governments and politicians (though you can make your voice heard by voting and calling those who represent you)
  • Start brainstorming of what this makes possible today
    • Can you learn a new skill?
    • Can you launch a new business that thrives in the new reality?
    • Can you volunteer in a position you always wanted to do?

Putting a bandage over a dollar isn’t going to fix the economy. Individually, we may not be able to fix the macroeconomy. However, each one of us can affect our microeconomy. Each one of us is an economy unto ourselves. It may be difficult while negative events are still unfolding. However, our attitude, combined with faith, hope, and a plan, can get us through the other side of this crisis. And remember: there will be another side of this. Keep the faith, and keep looking up!

Cartoon of a boy with a bandage over a dollar bill. he says to his dad, "Now that I fixed the economy, can we talk about something else?"
Categories
motivation

A New Year of Risk and Reward

Happy New Year! I am with the camp that says January 1, 2020, is the start of a new decade too. So there is even more reason to celebrate!

Have you made your new year resolutions? No? I’m not one to hype resolutions either. They can be too vague and there just isn’t enough planning involved. However, if you are prey, then I agree with the sheep in my cartoon. He really needs to put his resolution into action, and quickly!

Cartoon of a sheep and a wolf

Instead of making resolutions, I am going to spend the day working out my plan with my wife. We have never been more fired up than now. It is exciting to break out of a routine and dream of what is possible. Yes, we are willing to take risks by faith. After all, we are fooling ourselves if we think there is any risk-free life. I love this quote by General Douglas MacArthur.

There is no security in this life. There is only opportunity.

Douglas MacArthur in Instant Inspiration

Too many of us think we have security. We may not like the way things are, but they are secure. It’s been this way for a few decades, why rock the boat? Just hold on until retirement and endure the current situation. We may not realize that philosophy is just as risky as trying something different.

The reality is we don’t know what the next day will bring. I don’t know what is in store for me. So I might as well dream big, plan, and take some risks. Playing it safe assumes I know exactly what will happen in the future. I don’t. What I think is safe can crumble in an instant. This is coming from a guy who experienced two layoffs in his lifetime. My father took early retirement from a seemingly conservative, stable company rather than experience a layoff. A seemingly stable business can crumble overnight.

Yes, I don’t know what tomorrow may bring. So I might as well, dream, plan and take some risks for the new decade. The reward could be huge.

How about you?

Categories
motivation

Costumes and Goals in the Making

Cartoon of a boy and an older man

Some people go to great lengths in order to find the perfect Halloween costume. They may spend weeks perfecting the look, the character, the effect of their fear-producing ensemble tonight.

Others are more like me. When I was little, it didn’t occur to me to think of a trick-or-treat costume until October 30. I knew I was going to get candy no matter what I looked like. I blame Charlie Brown. Everyone in the Halloween special seemed to gravitate towards cutting holes in a bedsheet and going as a ghost. That seemed a perfectly reasonable costume to me.

Drifting into Halloween seems perfectly acceptable to me. Drifting through life is not. It is far better to plan your life than to drift through it. There may be a nice costume awaiting you in the linen closet, or your Grandpa’s attic. But if you want a fulfilling life, it is far better to plan what that looks like and reach for it.

Cartoon of a boy and an older man