We all make plans. We set milestones of where we’d like to be in life by a certain age or even within a few months!

We get so focused on the plan and execution that we leave little space for movement. We get so worried about distractions that we avoid them at all costs.

We are taught about the benefits of planning:

• Prioritisation: prioritising only those tasks that will help us get to the end point.
• Motivation: having something to work towards motivates us to keep going when we have an end point in sight.
• Shows direction: being committed to where we want to be and sharing our plans with others makes us look organised, like we have our ducks in a row.
• Competitive advantage: utilising our resources in a manner that helps us achieve the goal.
• Provides a guide for action: when we have a specific milestone in mind, we can create a strategic plan to get there.

However, I’m about to break down what you thought you knew about planning:

Long term plans can make us execution machines rather than being human beings.

If I had stuck to my life plan or the plan others expected me to have I would certainly not be where I am today! I believe I would’ve missed out on so much and not be even half as happy as I am right now. Most of the time, I’m living in the moment, rather than striving for a future goal or point that’s not guaranteed.

However, many people believe to be successful you need to be a long term planner. Yes, setting goals and achieving them is great for our wellbeing. But what if our plans consume us, are overly ambitious and we begin to neglect enjoying the journey over the outcome?

As a coach and an individual, I believe the most important quality you can cultivate for growth is agility in thinking. This is the ability to master your mind to not overthink and to embrace risk. It’s as if we’ve given up on ‘luck’ which I still believe you have to give it a chance in life.

I’m often asked what triggered my life changes and how I planned it. The honest truth is that it was never planned! I never thought it’d even happen. It was a business email I received on the 7th of October in 2013 that changed my life and set me on a journey. Only because I allowed it to. I could’ve treated it very differently. if I was hyper-focused on the ‘plan’ then I could’ve ignored this chance as a distraction. Maybe it was luck, maybe I was ready to embrace new things or take those challenges on. That was the day I stopped planning and started living. I started living spontaneously without regard to the long term impacts of my decisions. Not in a self-destructive way but embracing the possibilities out there that I didn’t know existed. Saying yes, pushing my boundaries and really living in the moment.

If you are completely set on your plan  24/7, you won’t take those risks. I would’ve missed out on all those things in life. I wouldn’t have lived in different countries, studied, walked so many miles, lost weight or changed my lifestyle at all. Because it wasn’t in the ‘plan’.

We believe we need to plan to achieve our life purpose. Planning career milestones, holidays, families, house moves, relationships and physical feats that will make us feel whole. The trouble is, as soon as a plan is complete, we seek the next, and the next. Often Marathon runners experience weeks of depression following the race they’ve spent so many months striving for and the finish line comes somewhat underwhelming. 

Achieving is great, you should always want to do and see and experience great things. But what if you change your mindset and realise that things are great right now? That the journey is just as important as the result? The training, the learning, the self-development, the opportunities and growth we experience right here and now are the important parts. Planning in the short term what’s for dinner or what time to go to the gym are necessary parts of life but is your long-term plan and your approach serving you? Is there more room for flexibility and openness to changing the course of that plan for the better?

If you can take anything from this: say yes more often. See what opportunities you didn’t plan for come your way.