We all have plans. We make them because that’s how we’re taught life works. Some people even begin to think that living without a life plan is just like living for nothing. While many would agree, there’s the other side of the fence who proclaims that life should never be planned. Life is just life, and you just can’t expect it to go the way you want.
Nevertheless, the majority of people cannot nurture a balance between the two mindsets. Yet, balancing the amount of planning and the amount of “just living” could be considered mastery. But why do some people plan and why do others hesitate to do it?
A precise suggestion would be that most of us are living more types of fear. Among those fears, the fear of change is extremely strong for most of the people. We absolutely love to stay in our comfort zones, without having to make changes. Changes mean risk, and they also evoke the fear of failure.
Well, during today’s post, we’re going to explore the pros of planning or not planning your life and goals. Remember: the key is to maintain the balance, but you should pick a perception and get accustomed to it all while staying open to the other perception.
PROs of NOT Planning Your Life
• Higher Degree of Diversity and Reduced Fear of Failure
When you aren’t planning anything, you’re leaving enough room for diversity. More than often, individuals that aren’t planning out their future will come across different experiences. We attract these experiences by trying different jobs, different spouses, different habits, and different hobbies.
Moreover, if you didn’t establish “ground rules” for your life, you’ll be tempted and willing to take more risks. When you take more risks, it means that your fear of failure is reduced. Less fear of failure means more success and opportunities.
• You’re Staying Very Open to Opportunities
Speaking of opportunities, you’ll get a lot of them. We often attract the things that we want, but when we’re not wishing for anything and we’re just letting things “choose us”, we become open to opportunities. Not that we’re just open, but we can definitely spot them easier than otherwise.
Opportunities can benefit you only if you have enough room for them in your life. If you’ve already got plans, you’ll be less open to exploring the experiences and opportunities life’s going to throw at you.
• You Give Yourself the Chance to Discover Your True Purpose and Passions
Whenever we plan our future, we’re kind of deciding how our life will look like as the time goes by. This simple action makes you feel very focused on that specific purpose. So for example, if your purpose is to be the best marketer in the world, you’ll be studying marketing books, you’ll market products and services, and everything is going to be dedicated to the major goal.
Yet, if you’re living life without plans, you give yourself the chance to discover other passions, and maybe, who knows, your true purpose. When we find the true purpose, we just know that we did. It’s an unexplainable feeling that will turn you into a different person.
PROs of PLANNING Your Life
• Your Life is More Organized and Controlled
When you have a goal, you know what you stick to. Whenever you fail, whenever you have a personal issue, whenever life puts you down, you can get back up and align with your goal. Compared to not having plans, this is a huge advantage, because the ups and downs of life are always the hardest.
Moreover, you can organize everything according to your major goal. You can split achievements into mini-achievements and take care of them each, all until the big piece is finally completed.
• Improved Focus and Commitment on Goals
Planning out your life should give birth to two important benefits or traits. I’m talking about the ability to focus entirely on your objectives, and the power of staying fully committed to whatever you’ve previously proposed yourself.
Having life plans and goals is often a more strategic way of going through life. Moreover, you’ll be able to get from Point A to Point B pretty quick as long as you’re dedicated. Of course, this will only happen if you know what Point B actually looks like.
• You’ll Recover from Failures and Disappointments Quicker
As previously mentioned, failures will no longer affect you that much. As long as you understand that every failure should be compared to a war battle. You can lose the battle, but the war is far away from being over.
Michael Smith, CEO at Aussiewritings.com, suggests:
“Every disappointment should be treated like a temporary thing. Nevertheless, if you have a strong and stable goal to keep yourself attached to, you’ll be able to recover from even the most challenging moments.”
Conclusion
Both options give benefits. The question is – what benefits are best suited for your lifestyle? Maybe you prefer more stability and control. In this case, you should probably plan your goals and objectives. Doing so should give you a better sense of control over your life and future. In the opposite case, if you hate planning or you hate putting ground rules over your life, do not plan anything.But as I mentioned before, you should strive to find a balance between the two mindsets. Have plans, but don’t make them strict. Plan things, but leave room for the unpredictable. I wish you good luck in your journey!
