It’s OK to Plan, But Live Life One Day at a Time
I find in times of crisis, (illness, being in a situation you have never been in before, job search, etc.), that for many individuals the crisis situation is only part of what they are battling. Some will look at what they are facing, and not only look to determine what steps they should be taking, but already are anticipating what the outcomes will be. Usually one who moves forward in such a manner is not looking at the outcomes as being pleasant, but often are already figuring the worst possible scenarios that can occur.
And, while I am a big believer in planning ahead, I am not a believer in determining outcomes to events over which I have little control or on which I need more information. I have had to confront illness in my own life and of those in my immediate family. In what I do for a living, while I can guide clients on approaches to take in their career search, the best I can do is to advise them on how to best “influence” a decision a hiring company may make, not guarantee an outcome. We can’t change the past, we can try to predict, but not guarantee the future, and at best we can take the best actions possible to impact the present, but only as to what aspects of it that we can directly control.
Every week for my business, I have a calendar of the appointments for the upcoming week. I can schedule my travel time around those events, the errands that I can run in the time I have available between events, etc. Additionally, if something becomes critical, I can perhaps look to reschedule appointments, or see if someone else can take care of an aspect of my schedule for me. I’m open to the fact that my clients have their own lives and things happen to them. A child gets sick. A relative needs them in an emergency situation. They may have to schedule another appointment when we were supposed to meet, (such as a job interview, or an opportunity to talk to a networking partner). At the end of the day, I don’t kick things moaning about what did not get done. Instead I like to look back on the day, and see what did get accomplished. It is a rare day that I don’t have at least a few items of which to feel a sense of accomplishment.
We can’t control every aspect of our life and what happens to us or around us, how hard we try. That said, we can attempt to influence outcomes. Perhaps that is done in the way we present ourselves and how we can be of assistance to another. Or, it can being a great listener, and picking up clues as to what are the most important steps to yourself or another and focusing on moving those aspects forward. With an illness, it could involve getting all the possibilities from your doctors and making an informed decision as to which treatment approaches are best to try. However, making a decision prematurely, can often lead to heart ache at worst and more complications than needed at best.
Life is difficult enough in terms of the obstacles one may face. However, it also has many exhilarating and satisfying moments. Savor every moment for what it is, because it is all part of a big picture that will make you both “the best version of yourself” and able to live “your most satisfying life.”
