I can’t tell you how many times I have heard that planning just puts you in the box leaving very little to no space for changes, it restricts your creativity and dictates your every step. At the end of the day, you only get disappointed if something doesn’t go as planned.
There are both sides of this story (like it is with any other, right?)
Planning can indeed create frustration if expectations are not met.
It all depends on how you look at it (yes, it’s that “mindset” thing again!)
There are 2 possibilities:
1. Plan every smallest step to the point where you have now flexibility for any changes to appear.
The first option is the one that people are mostly referring to when thinking about planning. I have to agree that it can be very frustrating when you have planned a trip and suddenly things get canceled and you have to replan the whole trip… Things like that are inevitable, they are out of your control. And that’s the beauty of it. How boring would life be if we would know exactly what’s gonna happen next?
Unfortunately because of this perception that planning is boring and puts you in a “frame” many people avoid it in hopes to save their flow, freedom, creativity, and to avoid frustration, disappointment, and feeling of restriction.
But let me tell you, planning is so freakin’ FREEING!
2. Plan general steps allowing interactions and having space to make the best lemonade out of any lemon that is thrown your way.
This is where you know your biggest steps, but have not set in stone any of the smaller parts allowing to “go with the flow” when it’s necessary and not get disappointed when things don’t turn out the way you expected. (Expectation is another thing you should not be leaning on too much, but that’s a topic for a different article). And when you push aside the negativity, fear, and unwillingness to accept the changes, you will see that in fact the moment a plan doesn’t work out, means that there is change happening. Change in the right direction.
How can planning Liberate you and make you feel in control at the same time?
- Have a Plan B in mind, even when wishing for Plan A.
In no sense, I’m suggesting that you should give up on Plan A at the very beginning. What I am suggesting is that you have clarity in case it doesn’t. This is how you will not get overwhelmed and will know exactly how to proceed to achieve your goal. Be open-minded and don’t get too attached to your Plan A. I’m sure you know that sometimes life gets in the way and things happen….
There are always to sides to every story and I want for you to be on the success side.
To avoid disappointment allow yourself enough room to explore plan B:
- What is it that you can do if Plan A wouldn’t work out?
- What other options are out there?
- What would it mean for you to take a different path?
- Is Plan B doable?
As you start to explore other options you will start to feel a sense of peace knowing that even if things don’t go as planned there are enough other things you can do.
2. Have clear action steps to take for any possible outcome.
No matter what happens think of a couple of ways you can make any situation better and turn it around to work in your favor. That will give you peace of mind and confidence that things will always work in your favor. Here I will repeat what every guru has already said, meaning, that every cloud has a silver lining. Once you start to look at things thou this idiom, your mindset switches into action mode instead of miserably wondering in disappointment land.
"Things always work out in your favor." - Agnese Rudzate
3. Change your mindset into success mode.
I can’t repeat it enough – mindset is everything! I have experienced myself and have seen many amazing transformations just by a small shift in a mindset. Remember that everything happens for a reason. And the fact that you plan A didn’t might be the best thing that happened.
That’s the biggest difference between successful people and the ones that are just let’s say “complainers” and “other blamers” and,… ok, I’ll stop now.
"Successful people own every situation, every mistake, every achievement." - Agnese Rudzate
It might not seem that easy at first, but once the situation unfolds, there is always some good that comes out of things not going exactly the way you planned!
To be confident in your delegating decisions, there are a couple key elements to delegate the right way
At the end of the day, you and your team are the ones building your business. I probably don’t have to remind you that it is crucial to choose the right team. Be specific in your requirements when hiring, ask for a specific skill set to be sure they will meet the requirements for the job to be done smoothly.
This is how I see planning – being more of a liberation than restriction. Without a plan, we would all just be lost and have no clarity around anything.
I know that many like to shame planning, but in reality, we all plan things – what to cook for dinner – you have to buy the product you will need, so there the planning you do every single day! How about business projects? You would be able to achieve results without a plan, right?
So we all do plan, some are more strict with sticking to it, and others like to get more into the flow marking of the biggest stepping stones. Either way is fine as long as you are achieving what you sent yourself up for.
Let me know if you are a “planner” or more “go with the flow” kind of lady? And have this article change your mind in any way about planning for liberation? I’m looking forward to hearing from you in the comments.
Here’s to having a plan and being able to enjoy the freedom it brings!
Agnese
Want to increase your productivity to have time freedom while running a thriving business?
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“LESS” & “SIMPLE” approach to life, business and mind for next level success
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