When the Plan Fails

Funny story…some of you might know this story…

The other day we got to have a Fun Friday on a Thursday. Coach Cari and I arrived at the gym Thursday morning at 4:20AM to find the parking lot pitch black. Every single light was out as we pulled in. At 4:20 AM that is kind of creepy, by the way! We went in together and learned that we had NO power. The iPod was dying, we couldn’t see the board, or two feet in front of us…crud!

At the drop of a dime, our plan went COMPLETELY south and we had to quickly come up with a new plan. The planning process wasn’t totally smooth either. I came up with a training we could do outside that would have worked well, BUT it wouldn’t have worked well for our poor bands. When Coach Dean came in, he came up with a much better plan that was safe for our students AND our equipment! The training was a total blast. The outcome was positive and everyone left feeling happy and accomplished.

Success!

Now let’s apply this to any other real life situation, right? We have a plan and sometimes stuff happens! Stuff that is TOTALLY outside of our control, but has a direct effect on THE plan, such as getting stuck at work and missing training or forgetting your lunch in the fridge at home. That was not in the plan, so what do you do?

Learning to plan is a skill, and you know what else is a skill? Coming up with a plan B! I did not have a plan B the other morning at 4:20AM, but you know what? I will now! Situations come up all the time where we have to make a choice that wasn’t on our radar. It is a skill to make a choice that you will be proud of and happy with. For example, coming to the next later training hour or making a nutritious choice at lunch at a restaurant. Just because the plan fails sometimes doesn’t mean our world needs to come crashing down. Be ready to adapt and overcome. Be flexible and make choices you will look back and be happy with. Every failed plan is an opportunity to learn.

-Coach Meagan