As they grow up, children are always taught to be themselves and to not be afraid to show their true selves but how often does this actually happen? Children, as early as they can remember, will easily recall being told numerous times to be proud of who they are and where they come from. Even having moved out, parents will still constantly remind their children to do their best and to become the best at whatever it is they decide to do. However, despite constant reminders of these clichéd sayings, that I’m sure those parents were told as well as they grew up, there is always something missing. Of course, because if there were nothing missing, then these phrases such as, “do your best” and “be yourself” would be all that was needed to become successful in life. Yet , this is not the case, which means something has been left out. A plan.
Whether it be building a common household piece of furniture or an industrial sized bridge, there are always instructions and there is always a plan in order for that product to be the best that it can be. It would be extremely difficult to construct any type of project without the proper steps and instructions and a clearly detailed plan. So let’s pretend our lives was this project that we had to construct, would we not need a set of instructions or manual also? Well yes, of course. But in reality, we don’t get this said ‘manual’ because then life would be too easy and it wouldn’t be life at all. If we had a set of steps that led us to a perfect life, then chances are, we would miss out on all other factors that make living so exciting. We’d miss out on our failures, mistakes and other faults, then how would we learn?
So thinking about this, maybe a life plan isn’t such a great idea but like it was said before, without a plan, our lives would have no course. So maybe, instead of a plan, our lives need something more like a guideline, like the bumpers on a bowling lane that keeps the ball on course for its target. The ball may swerve and lose direction but then, those bumpers will guide it back on track.
See, we are unique individuals, we may have the same goals as the person next to us, and we may even achieve that same goal, but the path we take will never be the same. The roads we take will differ, depending on our choices, but that’s what makes us who we are. Two people may be identical in wealth and riches but their past and previous choices, is what separates them when it comes to their personality. One may be unbelievably greedy and the other very generous. But don’t get me wrong, success doesn’t just come. To be successful, it involves hard work, dedication, pride and belief in what you do but most importantly, to be successful, you need a plan.
See, life and work is two very different things which should never be confused as being one and the same. In life, we need guidelines, not a plan. However, when it comes to work, everyone needs a plan in order to know where they want to go. Because working without a plan is like sailing without a compass. We have no direction.
