Editorials

When Things Don’t Go to Plan…

25 October 2019

By Lauren E. White

when-things-dont-go-to-plan

Life has such a good way of throwing everything you ever planned straight out of the window. For years and years you may have planned to live in a certain place, in a certain way, with certain people. Then, one day, the plans just crumble before you. So, when things don’t go to plan, what do you do?

If you want the honest answer to this question, it’s moping around for days – maybe even weeks. When things don’t go to plan, it’s the worst feeling in the world. It’s like you’ve been thrown into the wilderness with no answers to the big questions, or any immediate planning for the life you’re living.

But you can’t stay in the same state of sadness and shock about things not working out. It is part and parcel of life. However, if like me, you plan everything meticulously and haven’t ever experienced things not going to plan before, moving on from it all can be a bit tricky. Actually, it can be really bloody hard.

when-things-dont-go-to-plan-acceptance

Like with everything in life, the first step to recovery is acceptance. You have to come to the realisation that this is life – it is unpredictable. The sooner you accept this, and realise that you can adapt quickly and survive, the better.

Once you have accepted your new reality, you start to plan short-term. You realise there isn’t any point in planning five years ahead anymore because you have no idea where you’ll be or who you’ll be with. So, plan for the next few months. And after those few months, plan for some more.

But here is the golden nugget of advice for when things don’t go to plan. Start afresh. Use the opportunity to escape from the expectations you placed on the period of your life and start again. Maybe new beginnings will work out to be better than the plan you had envisioned in your mind in the long run.

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