As I write this, it is late March, 2014. Spring has been with us for five days, but it doesn’t feel anything like spring in Indiana. Yesterday, it snowed. Let me tell you, friends, it’s been quite a winter for Hoosiers. Maybe you balk because you’re from Minnesota or Siberia. But We aren’t use to extended single-digit temperatures and relentless snow storms!
Things rarely go according to plan. We know what a typical winter is for the area we live in. But how many times do we see an “average winter?” Usually it’s above normal or below normal temperatures. When we have the average winter, we start to wonder if there is something wrong. Could it really be that perfect? Could it really be so average that it’s unusual?
I have anxiety about planning because I just know it’s never going to work exactly the way I’ll plan it. It’s just not possible. I won’t know every single detail. There is no way to predict every possible contingency. And if it does go of course, that must mean the plan is a failure, right?
Parenting scared me for the same reasons. I could do everything right and kids would still make their own choices, be influenced by others and encounter surprises. Does that mean I shouldn’t have planned to be a good parent?
I am wrapping up my MBA degree this spring. One of my last classes is business planning. I have learned much from the class. But the one aspect that has stuck with me is that it’s okay if a business doesn’t go exactly like the business plan. In fact, it will never go exactly as planned. But that’s okay. Any plan isn’t a set of laws which shall never be broken! It’s more like a map. We can follow a map exactly. But if a road is closed ahead, we may need to find an alternative route. We can’t just stare at the map and be adamant about refusing to change course.
So things won’t always go according to plan. That’s okay. Plan anyway!
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