What Can You Do When Things Don’t Work Out?

 

Sometimes we plan for one eventuality, but then find ourselves having to confront another.

When this happens, plans must change.  That doesn’t mean your plan failed.  It just means that you have to adjust your plan. 

The most important thing to remember about planning is that it requires you to take time out of your regular routine and ask “What if?”.  When you do this, the activity of planning opens your thoughts to other possibilities. 

Being aware of possibilities opens the door to conditions you might encounter, other ways of thinking or other destinations that might provide greater opportunities than your original idea or course.

Don’t think of a plan as a fixed course.  A plan is a working document that must be adjusted as conditions change.

 

When you are confronted with new information. 

Evaluate it first for its validity and bias.  Don’t just check the author’s bias.  Check yours as well.  If the information is valid, then evaluate its potential impacts and opportunities.  Does the new information reinforce your chosen course of action? Is it something that requires some tweaking to your plan?  Or does the new information require you to totally rethink your plans, even your chosen long-term vision or destination?

Accidents happen. Things wear out and so do our bodies.

Have an emergency fund.  If your income is limited, then start it one penny at a time and keep building.  The bigger the emergency fund, the better prepared you are for when things go sideways.  How big should that fund be?  I can’t answer that question.  Read, listen, talk to financial advisors with fiduciary responsibilities, talk to your insurance agent (yes, you want one), then take stock of your situation and decide how big that fund should be, what form it should take and where your resources should be held.

Take into account the aging process. Do take care of your health. 

Deferred maintenance is expensive.  Being a good steward saves you time and money.  So, maintain your property and make plans to replace items.  Set aside money as you can to replace or repair things that wear out or break.

 

Many things are outside of our control

The weather, natural disasters, wars, monetary policy, actions other people take or don’t take. Economic shocks, technological changes, technological disruptions, changes in family status, a debilitating disease and more can significantly impact our plans. 

Your life is going to be disrupted at some point and place in time.  You may, or may not, have any control over that disruption.  Sometimes, you will have advanced knowledge of an event or change.  Sometimes you will not.  Thinking about potential scenarios during the planning process can help you create a plan that is more resilient.

 

Things do not stay the same. 

Look for the “normal” weather patterns and environmental risks in your area.  Also look for the “abnormal”.  Don’t just look at the 5-, 10- or 20-year events and patterns, take into account the 50-, 100-, 500-, 1,000-year events as well.  The terms 100-year flood/storm/event or 500-year flood/storm/event aren’t as far outside the ordinary as you might think, for example. Any of those longer-term events may or may not happen during your lifetime.

A number of organizations plan for disasters or come in to help after a disaster.  You may have heard about the Red Cross, Team Rubicon, FEMA, or  World Central Kitchen, for just a few examples.  You can learn about their experiences and recommendations for minimizing foreseeable impacts. Your local emergency management team, churches and charities are good sources of information also.

Talk to your parents and grandparents. Listen to their stories about the events in their lives that were outside their control.  Talk to other people from that same time period and read about other people’s experiences from that time period or more historic time periods as well.  Gain knowledge from what those people lived through and how they chose to negotiate those events and times.  Use that information to put conditions in your life into perspective.  Consider what knowledge, actions and mindsets may be beneficial for you to gain, develop or take.

 

I have a dream, but I don’t know how to get there, or even what it is going to look like.

That is ok and more normal than you might think.  Take the time to learn, explore. Learn what is a good fit and what is not.  Give yourself time to grow and develop a more complete vision.