Life Happens- Be Willing to Change Your Plans
Plans can be great… you can schedule appointments or anticipate working on a specific project. Planning helps you think about what you’re going to do and when you’d like to actually do it.
Now enters the issue of “control”. There are some things within our control and somethings that are outside of our control.
When we are engaged in the planning process, ideally we are anticipating things that we can control that would impact our plan if something went awry. We might even develop a contingency plan to account for potential problems.
Even with the best created plan, there is the possibility of something happening that is outside of our control. When these challenges occur, it is up to us on how we deal with them- we can become angry and frustrated or we can choose to embrace flexibility. Flexiblity allows us to better roll with life’s surprises and deal with them in the best possible way that the situation allows. After all, our thoughts are usually not as clear when we are angry, resisting what is, complaining that our productivity is impacted, all because it’s not what we want it to be.
A palm tree in a hurricane can provide a great visual image of the benefit of flexibility. Instead of resisting the strong winds and snapping in two, a palm tree has the ability to withstand the winds by bending. It’s ability to be flexible allows it to survive and to resume it’s stately posture once the winds have passed.
It’s great to make plans. When life happens, let’s take a lesson from the palm trees and embrace flexibility to weather the surprises that come our way.
