All of us are different when it comes to planning. Some of us love it and make list after list, planning what to do and when to do it. Others despise it and often just go with the flow and let things happen. While I do not think we should plan out to perfection every event in our lives and plan each coming hour, I do not think we should simply let things happen to ourselves without taking control.
Recently, one of my friends has become very angry with my friends and me for spontaneously deciding to do something out of the blue. We will inform her of what we are doing moments before we are going and she does not seem to like this spontaneity. She likes her organization and having a plan set way ahead of time.
At first, her being angry at this made me angry as well. I figured she should just be ready for anything and open to everything. While I still hold this view, I began to look at things from her point of view. Plans give structure. Plans give certainty. These are things we desire in life.
Let me repeat this: We all desire structure and certainty, no matter if we admit it to others or not. We do not like feeling unsure and uncertain about our futures. Once I realized that this is what my friend was feeling, I began to somewhat understand her feelings of anger.
Now, I am not going to start making plans for everything just because I had an epiphany about planning. I am only just beginning to realize that we need to find a happy medium when planning out our lives. Having the skills to both plan and be flexible is extremely important in our world today.
As a college student, I know this to be especially true. I have a big-picture plan of graduating college, building a career that is also my passion, getting married, having a family, and exploring all over the world (very original, I know). While these are long-term goals as well as plans, they are still set in stone. I know that I will eventually do all of these things. However, although I have this plan and long-term dream set in stone, I am also flexible in how I will get there. I do not know exactly what job I will get and I do not know where I will live or travel. I am open to different possibilities and to the opportunities that come my way. And, this is why we need to be flexible in our lives — because this flexibility allows us to be open to all the things that come our way.
We should not be so stuck in our ways and in our plans that we miss all the great opportunities that we are given. So, while I encourage you to be flexible and to be open, make a long-term goal and plan. Decide what you want, but realize that there are multiple ways to achieve your goals and that everything does not have to happen on a specific timeline or happen exactly perfect. Life is going to get messy, and that is OK. Plans will change. Goals will change. If you can adapt to everything that happens, you will be so much better off and ready to face any challenge and setback that is thrown at you.
