The benefits of not having a plan

Look into self-help books these days and it's all about having a plan. Have a specific thought in your mind, and push towards it no matter what. Send thoughts out into the universe and whatever you're thinking will manifest - I say a lot of this is bullsnip, at least for some of us. I'm at a better place in my life than I've ever been, and it's specifically because I let go of most of the "wisdom" that's being fed to people now days - Holding vague goals in my mind has made manifest much greater things than specific goals ever have.

I will be successful.
I will take care of my family.
I will be healthier, and more mindful of myself and my surroundings.

Right now - I'm making about twice what I've ever made ( puts me from low poverty into low middle class, but still. ) I'm enrolled to attend an online university to get a bachelors degree, and I'm enjoying life.

So, if having a plan hasn't quite brought about the results you were expecting? Maybe forget the planning. Just keep doing something to grow. You'll thank yourself for it!

See you around fellow members,

Deadlyhope

a reply to: deadlyhope

Just an observation...? You won't be "attending" any enrolled course...but will be sitting home in your underwear in front of a monitor screen!.

Don't take that wrong....but how do you enrolled to soon take courses? You couldn't just click n start! (unless it's a money thing!!!)

Seriously? It's great! Good for you, and good luck!

PS I tried retiring-3 times already...but somehow jobs pop in the way...and I go for it. Proves your point here!
MS

a reply to: deadlyhope

I second that. I couldn’t plan anything if I wanted to. The way I ended up in Seattle is that I just took off driving one day, and this was where my car broke down. Lol.

I spent a couple months just driving from Kentucky to the west coast taking nothing but back roads, no interstates, no maps. Just going west.

Drove all over the mountains in Oregon, all up and down the coast, and right before I was going to turn around and come back a friend I hadn’t seen in years hit me up and wanted to know if I wanted to move in a house in Seattle.

And that’s it. If it wasn’t for blindly leaping, I probably wouldn’t move at all.

Eh.
Sort of.
I believe putting POSITIVE thoughts out into the universe, is a good thing. We need more positivity in our world.
But...
We do have to keep growing.
I'm living proof that when you get too comfortable, and stagnate, the universe throughs you a curve ball. Sometimes right upside the head.
But I've gotten a nice summer tan, and my house sided and can pay the bills while looking for a new job. So, there is the positive.

LOL

a reply to: deadlyhope

I think it is good to have defined plans, but to always be flexible.

As i've gotten older there something that I have really learned, sometimes things are not meant to be forced.
When people are young and want something, they tend to get very disappointed when they don't get it. What they
don't realize is that sometimes not getting something is a blessing (or whatever you call it). It has happened to me so many times.

a reply to: deadlyhope

My daughter is heading into sophomore year in high school and they have already pushed these kids to choose their career paths.

All I knew I wanted to do for sure at that age was get laid. Hopefully not a priority for her.
Anyways.
I still turned out pretty good.

My biggest fear is that she will wake up at 40 years old feeling miserable in a job she hates because they made her choose at 15 years old.

a reply to: JAGStorm

It is good to plan. Without one in some cases? People can die. That's not DH's point though I'm sure.

I get it...and I'm on the "always have a plan" side of a ER responder!



1st responder

Best thing that ever happened to me was when I lost everything including my retirement in 08.

Now livin the dream!! Thank you Frank Miller [of "300"] for the new start and Plan B.

Goals keep you sharp & help lessen the blunt impact of curve balls out of the blue, even if it's just a hobby-level goal.

However, even aimless wandering could be construed as it's own goal, as one sets a goal of no particular ending until they see something they like within reach.

Just as long as someone doesn't live in self-loathing & animosity wandering to get away from life itself, then following your own path as it unfurls it one of the coolest parts of life. I mean, it's not like many are going somewhere no others have tread prior, but YOU haven't, right? Everybody is their own cartographer in life mapping it as they go, it just depends on how much fun you have doing it.

originally posted by: Bluntone22
My biggest fear is that she will wake up at 40 years old feeling miserable in a job she hates because they made her choose at 15 years old.

My younger kid (9) has a pretty good idea of what she's going to do for the rest of her life (paleontology) and I wouldn't put it past her. Digging up fossils in dirt and examining rocks? Kid already does that (examining rock/searching for fossils) and loves it. She wants a paycheck for it, and more power to her, at least she'll WANT to go to work every day.

Older daughter (10) hasn't the faintest clue yet. Lots of things are cool and fun, but she doesn't see what the appeal in doing them for a job is. She's got a lifetime to figure it out, I wish schools would lay off that crap. We home school, so I'm grateful for not having that pressure on them yet, but some of the other elementary schoolers in the neighborhood claim the school is already pressing the importance of a career path in 4th/5th grade, and I don't doubt it. These kids are so stressed out that they can't even be kids anymore, it's really saddening.

John Lennon said "Life happens when you're busy making plans"!

How right on he was

a reply to: deadlyhope

If the plan you have does not FULLY resonate with your heart it is going to get harder as it goes..usually ends with a breaking point.

Cannot force plans just know they will happen.. coherent measured action with pure appreciation works...hard to learn but it sure does.

The focus that comes with anger works in short term quite often..then we forget to MEAN it.

HAVE to be on target with the inner voice..just the way that it is..

a reply to: deadlyhope

Having goals is one thing, and having plans is quite another. I have goals. Plans...not so much. I never really needed a plan. "All you have to do, is do it." I heard that advice once in a dream and I follow it still.

I used to think that I could simply hop from company to company and gain skills that would take me closer to where I wanted to go. It seemed to work for the people who resumes I looked at in the industry. I tried following the same paths.

Unfortunately, each time, I got the label "bright graduate", so what happened was that I'd start a dream job only to find six months down the road or even on the first day of arriving, some third party outside our team (head office/floor manager/external customer) would decide they "wanted the brightest graduate/the most qualified engineer/whoever knows the most" to move on some side-branch project and push me in the opposite direction I wanted to go.

Now I'm working as an independent contractor. Everything gets written down and agreed to, so no-one can pull political strings or take the work assigned to me and give it to their buddies.

a reply to: deadlyhope

Men make all kinds of plans.

God just smiles

originally posted by: randyvs
a reply to: deadlyhope

Men make all kinds of plans.

God just smiles

Other times he will let you know when you have made a mistake.

a reply to: Agent7Wellsfry

Obviously you are aware of the gravity
of your reply. And I am curious what
made you come up with that? As I
myself can only agree.

originally posted by: randyvs
a reply to: Agent7Wellsfry

Obviously you are aware of the gravity
of your reply. And I am curious what
made you come up with that? As I
myself can only agree.

The words are not my own they immediately came to me as I read what you posted.
The Lord can and does work in mysterious ways.
I have seen his hand working in my life, I will be satisfied in this life if I can help even one soul come to Christ and if I can help strengthen others faith in God.

a reply to: Agent7Wellsfry

Our Father in Heaven is righteous.