What's the Plan, Stan?

There was a time in my life when things came so easily and I didn't think or plan the "next" step.  It just happened.  For example, when I got fed up with an employer and was thinking about making a switch, I got a call out of the blue to take a position that was a step up both fiscally and in responsibility.  Then that faucet seemed to turn off.  Things didn't (and still don't) come easily and things don't have a purpose.

So I decided to plan.  I had a one year, five year, ten year, twenty year,and twenty-five year plan.  It included everything from physical goals (weight, fitness levels, eating plans), mental goals ( reading, time alone, thinking), and spiritual goals (reading the bible, praying, tithing).  But I didn't stop there.  I had marital goals and plans, fiscal goals, and material goals. Any type of goal and plan you could think of, I had it planned.  And in writing.  And things were going very, very well.  I thought I had tapped into something really helpful.  I had things figured out.  And then, I started having marital problems and then the money tree dried up due to something beyond my control. I take responsibility for both of these things but outside factors happened that I did not plan on happening.

And that's the point.  What happens when you have your life planned and doctors find cancer in your body?  What happens when your spouse and you have grown apart and another man or woman seems like a better fit and a better option?  What happens when the company you are working for goes out of business? Unless you are very different than the average American, you don't plan for these things.  And they can change your life dramatically.

So what are we to do?  I dont know.  I haven't gotten to the point that I can plan again.  And, in my case, it didn't help to plan.  To look back on some of my plans and goals that I had listed for 2011 is simply a joke.  I am no closer to any physical, mental, spiritual, fiscal, or marital goals than I was before I started planning. 

So what's the plan, Stan?  I dont know but maybe the solution is to simply take action (like I mentioned in one of my blogs).