over-planning
At a certain point, all the plans in the world only become a hold-back.
Planning for the success you want to create is important — required, even, if you hope to build the life of your imagination and meet your visions and goals. That life doesn’t happen by accident; intentional, aligned, wholehearted living calls for self-awareness and some level of planning.
But then if you get stuck in the planning phase — the overthinking, considering all contingencies, misusing your imagination through worry, giving in to all the what ifs and nagging anxiety — your plans become overkill and useless. Because we cannot plan for all contingencies. We can’t read and predict the future. Control is an illusion.
And life happens in action. In noticing. In every moment. Not in the stalling, deliberating, and overthinking.
This means we don’t need to OVER plan… or else we might miss the magic.
Sometimes I get so caught up in wanting to create the perfect outline and map of the future, so I have excellent to do lists and directions for myself to follow, and so everything lines up just like I’d hoped. Sometimes I feel nervous from anxiety over unknowns and how everything will go — whether or not I’ve prepared enough.
The magic is already here. It’s all around us; we live in everyday magic all the time. It’s simple and mundane and awe-inspiring and constant. It’s there when we remember to look.
We can plan and plan and plan — and still have it all go wrong.
We can plan and plan and plan — and have everything match the plans we set out, only to realize we killed the experience for ourselves, and all the fretting wasn’t worth it.
Too much go-around and planning, when rooted in fear, can only hold us back.
Sometimes I need the reminder to do my best and be intentional, but then just sit back and relax and have some faith. Trust that it will all work out. Trust that you will have your own back, whatever comes. Believe in yourself and the best that could happen and your circle of support if it doesn’t. Keep calm. Have fun. See how it shakes out.
Most of all, remember worrying will help nothing. Worry is not your friend. It is feeble and impotent.
Wonder, on the other hand, is strong and effective. So are you. So is each small, useful action you take and start adding up right now. Once the plan is solid, how about we just stop, give it a rest, trust the process, and enjoy?
