When Life Changes Your Plans

Good day everyone! We missed a couple of days this week for our blog posts. I just started this blog last week, and certainly do not plan to flake out this soon…even though no one is commenting! Hmmm…perhaps what I have shared thus far is so thought-provoking that everyone is still thinking about what they want to post! Lol! Nevertheless, I am here today, and glad that you have stopped by.

I missed posting on Monday and Tuesday because I had a couple of situations with family and friends that needed my assistance. Of course, I did not plan for these things to occur, but they did. It started me to thinking how often we make plans that are changed by external, unexpected forces beyond our control. How do we handle such things? What about our character has equipped us to go with the flow, resisting the urge to panic or try to force our original plans?

For me, this has been one of the biggest challenges to my personal development. I am a planner, an organizer, one who expects D to follow A, B and C. However, when something shifts E or F before D, I can become frustrated. This is part of my need for control. I believe that having control of circumstances leaves no room for surprises; the best thought out plans brings reassurances that we are on the right path. However, life has shown me that circumstances can cause my plans to shift in unexpected territory. Another aspect is change. For many people, change is unchartered waters, and it is the unexpected that makes us draw back and resist change.

Yet, change and the unexpected can work in our favor. For example, the unexpected changes I experienced gave me something to write about today. This is equal to complacency, and complacency can be dangerous when life is nudging us in a different direction. Just think of Captain Smith and the Titanic. Rick Joyner wrote a book in 1994 titled "Leadership, Management & the Five Essentials for Success" with timeless advice on leadership. He uses analogies of the Titanic and Captain Smith, writing that complacency, not an iceberg, sank the Titanic. He goes on to write:

"A leader, like the captain of a ship, needs to know where he's going and how to get there before he leaves port. He must also be able to make adjustments in his plans…It is important to have the resolution to stay on course…but it is just as important to know when to adjust the course…when a deviation has been required. Had that wisdom been with Captain Smith of the Titanic, it is likely that his ship would never have sunk.”

I do not suggest that plans are unnecessary, but rather, allow space for changes that can improve your original plans.