When Plan ‘A’ Fails

What you do next matters.

And then, just like that, *poof* plan ‘A’ is no more.

It doesn’t matter what plan ‘A’ may have been, because if it’s gone and done there is little to nothing more you can do at that point.

It may be frustrating, upsetting, annoying, displeasing, and any number of other negative reactions you can come up with. However, it’s important to recognize a few facts.

First — Sh*t happens. So very much of what happens in our lives is totally out of our control. Recognizing this and accepting it can go a long ways. And no, I am in no way saying we have to like it.

Second — No plan survives contact with the enemy. I have been doing medieval fencing for quite some time. In the game I play, we do melee combat — team on team fights. One of the first rules of this combat is that no plan will survive contact with the enemy. Why? Because when they move, odds are pretty good they will NOT move as we want them to. Ergo, plan is no good.

Third — Change is inevitable. We live in a constantly changing world. Even the most static and apparently staid matter is, in fact, changing. Recognizing this makes accepting it, and the failure of plan ‘A,’ a much easier pill to swallow.

Fourth — Self-recrimination is pointless. If you take the blame for the failure…