The Plan, and the Balance


Are you, like me, a planner?  Some people aren’t.

I’m often amazed at the number of people with this mindset.  They seem entirely comfortable to go through life simply accepting – or addressing – what comes.  Is it that they don’t care?  Not entirely … I suspect the true answer is that they have a bit less of that “control” mindset.

My thought process is different.  If I know something is coming, I’m almost compelled to plan for it – and not just a plan, but a contingency plan.  Sometimes there’s even a backup to the contingency plan. 


It’s not that I’m paranoid about the future, but rather the opposite.  Looking towards the future and anticipating it is actually one of my greatest joys.  And for me, that planning is part of it.  Planning not only makes me feel like I’m safe and in control (though I do know that’s an illusion), it also lets me play with my own responses to the future. 



I find that fun – to play the game of “what if”.  What if this happens?  In an odd way, this reminds me both of my love for puzzles – jigsaw, online, word, number – and my bizarre teen hobby of creating random quadratic equations to solve.  (Yes, I was that kid).  Perhaps my love for planning is really a manifestation of my compulsive joy of problem-solving?


I’m still curious about those come-what-may folks, though.  Are they simply not puzzle fans?  Do they simply enjoy being surprised?  Or is it perhaps that they realize that our control of the future is limited and that there’s little point in stressing about it?

I’d like to think that I don’t so much stress about the future as analyze it – that’s probably true to some extent.  But if I’m realistic, I can also admit that true balance probably lies between the two.  There are benefits to planning – if you’ve ever moved or made a major life change, you’ll know this – but I also see a certain freedom in simply letting go. 


This is something I need to remember – that it’s ok at times to let go, or let someone else take the reins.  Where’s your balance?

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