Yesterday was one of those days I don’t normally have. No, no, I still had pain; in fact late in the afternoon, I had a lot of it. However, earlier yesterday I taught a class of sixth grade girls some aspects of being an entrepreneur. Part of a Junior Achievement curriculum, I get to do this once a week for six weeks. Same day, same time, same girls, and they are all wonderful. The subject yesterday was the importance of having plans, a personal and a business plan. What was interesting to me was how every single girl expected to complete high school, go on to college, and work in their chosen field. When I told them that the high school graduation rate for South Carolina was 66%, they were stunned. Now this is not a private school, but it is exceptional. It is a culture that teaches leadership and community service. From the principal, the board of directors, teachers, staff and parents; the students simply assume they will press on and succeed.
After being a district manager for a financial planning firm, I can tell you first hand that most people don’t plan. Most of us didn’t attend this type of school, or have this kind of environment or this kind of class. In fact, the planning field has a saying that demonstrates this; “People do not plan to fail, they simply fail to plan.”
There is a place though, where it doesn’t matter if you were a driven planner, or someone who simply went along. The onset of an injury or illness, when pain stays and you realize it has become chronic, when suffering hits you from behind; these types of issues will knock any of us off the road of life and into a ditch. Now what? Does it matter if you were a planner or not? How do you get out of the ditch, and back on your journey? I believe having a plan in life is important, but if you accept that a plan suggests control in life you’re going to have a tough time getting back on the road. There’s only One with control, we’re just here for the ride. In the ditch, you need hope, flexibility, faith, and support to get back on the road; although maybe you’ll need the service road for a while. How about you? Are you still in the ditch? Did your plan go down in flames? How are you able to continue on your journey?
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