Life According to Plan

by Kris Pitcher

While spending a few days in regional team meetings, I've had the opportunity to hear leadership speak on a number of topics. Our division VP asked if anyone had ever had a situation where things didn't go as planned.

Umm. Yes! For example, all the time. Life doesn't necessarily go as planned. We have a certain idea of how things should go, will go...must go. But things don't always go that way, our way. Then what?

What's the difference between someone who excels and succeeds, and someone who lays down in defeat? The difference is simple. YOU are the difference. OK, it's a little more complicated than that. The difference is how you react to life's plan.

Things don't happen "to" you. They just happen. How we deal with them is our chosen reaction. So when things don't go according to plan, what do you do? How do you react?

Getting to any goal is dependent on your ability to problem solve. You must be able to take in new information, make an educated choice, and move ahead. Life is dynamic. It doesn't play out like a movie, or the fairy tale in our minds. It plays out how it plays out. We handle things as they come.

When you've planned to walk on the treadmill and you get to the gym to find they are all full what do you do? You can make a number of choices. You can panic, get back in your car and go home. You can stand behind someone and wait with steam rolling from your head until their done (awkward). You can choose a different mode for your cardio. You solve problems.

The way we react to life's "input" either makes us, or breaks us. Think about the most recent challenge you've faced. How did you react? Anger. Frustration. Stress. Are you playing a victim in your life? Or are you actively solving challenges to get to your success?

Very few things in life go "as planned". I could think of countless BIG life examples of things not going according to the plan in my mind. My ability to adapt, creatively solve problems, and think about potential solutions keeps me moving forward with a mindset of empowerment.

Quiet the drama around victimization by every tiny thing that isn't going your way. Choose a different perspective and things will actually begin to open up to you. In my experience, this is when life begins to go...according to plan.