The pursuit of a new goal often starts as little more than a whisper. A seed, with potential to be more.
Given enough time and attention, that seed grows into something we’re excited by.
Something we’re invested in.
Something that grows clearer by the day, until we can see the path between here and there laid out before us in startling clarity.
Here’s the thing…
Before we set out on our journey, we only know what we know.
If we’re diligent, we might even know what we don’t know.
But we don’t know what we don’t know.
The pressures of reality weather even the most perfectly crafted theory.
Put another way – no plan survives contact with the real world.
The more we overengineer your approach before we begin, the more vulnerable we are to even minor deviations in the wider environment.
That’s why the old saying holds true:
Plans are useless, but planning is invaluable.
The key shift is to stop stressing about the outcome (our plan), and focus on the process instead.
The goal of planning isn’t to figure out every step you’ll take between where you start and where you finish.
It’s to get you thinking.
No one knows what the future holds. But we all possess the innate abilities to forecast, envision, reflect, and imagine how things might be.
A proper approach to planning allows us to sift through our past experiences (and the experiences of others), consider our trajectory, and clarify our ultimate desires. The better we do this, the more vivid the road ahead becomes.
Clarity gets us started. It grants us confidence that we know what awaits us on our journey.
Coupled with an understanding that, no matter how complete our picture, it still pales in comparison to reality – it’s all we require to keep moving forward.