What We're Reading Now
Embrace the New Plan
26 March 2013
Allison read Martha Beck’s blog post, Have A Plan — And Be Willing To Change It, and appreciated this simple, yet powerful, reminder about how to respond when things just don’t go according to plan.
Tags: allison read, balance, happiness, martha beck
I had big plans for a fairly in-depth blog post today that would reference several articles, books, experts, and other resources on the topic of “disruptive behavior” in healthcare organizations that “undermines a culture safety.” Disruptive behavior happens in all industries, but has especially serious consequences in healthcare settings and I’m proud to know and work with many of the leading experts on this topic. I think it will be a good post next Tuesday, but it’s definitely not happening today.
It’s been one of those weeks. Actually, it’s been one of those months where nothing seems to be going according to the plans I had for myself (large and small). Some of what’s happened this month has fallen into the “good problem to have category” and other things have been in the “ouch, that’s not what I wanted at all” department. Today’s unexpected thing was no biggie. A friend learned he could get a much-needed surgery this afternoon and I wanted to help out by picking him up and making sure he got settled at home. He’d do the same for me if I needed him so it was certainly a good day to make a new plan.
What’s the point of all this? Well, sometimes things just don’t go the way we planned. As I searched my go-to blog sites for something new and faster to write about this afternoon, one of my favorite professional coaches came to the rescue. I first learned about Martha Beck in her monthly O, The Oprah Magazine column and then read her book, The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life. This morning she reposted a story about her April 2010 trip to South Africa and how almost nothing seemed to go according to plan including a lot of major inconveniences and travel disappointments.
At every roadblock and problem, Beck would hear a local say, “No worries, we’ll make a plan,” and she slowly began to embrace this “magically comforting” notion. Whether it’s a big or a small plan that comes undone, you just need to start making a new plan as soon as the situation requires one. It’s important to release the expectations you had and try to find a way to be present to the moment you’re in. You might even end up creating a better plan than you imagined for yourself in the first place. When the voices in my head get a little negative, I often need a new mantra to help me quiet things down up there. I’ve been in search of just the right thing and I think, “No Worries, we’ll make a plan,” is the winner.
p.s. If you’re looking for some more Martha Beck inspiration, check out my post from last summer about how to Make Your Dreams Come True.
Comments
Our Comment Policy:
Our blog posts are only half of the conversation. What our readers have to say is equally important to us, and we're grateful for all the comments that continue the dialog.
To ensure that the discussion here is as useful as possible to all of our readers, please be respectful of our contributors and refrain from harassing, threatening and/or vulgar language. We reserve the right to screen and remove any comments from the site. If you have a question about a comment or want to discuss our policy, please contact us. We'll talk it over.
There are no comments for this entry yet.