The only thing that is constant is change.
That quote from Heraclitus, an ancient Greek philosopher, causes many to stumble. No one really likes change, even those who consider themselves change agents. Change is inevitable and destabilizes us from what we consider to be the norm. When we destabilize we are called into action to find stability. That is the part of change most of us struggle with until we normalize again.
Change is not always in our control, and that makes us a little nervous.
I just got back from a short trip to Saskatchewan. It was filled with a lot of fun, good conversations, and memories intentionally made. But as we all know, it is the unintentional moments that make the best memories. In fact, some might argue that those moments are really the memories worth holding and recalling. Our trip ended, or rather, was extended with one of these memories.
I realized I was overplanning as the trip came together and was taking the break to unwind some of that tension. And then the deer crossed the highway during the last leg of our journey home. It was within the following minutes I realized I was still planning and scrutinizing my moments, planning what would happen with the following day…and the days to come. The deer changed the plans, we spent another night on the road, and I got the opportunity to remind 2 of my children of how precious they are to me.
What do you do with the moments created by derailed plans?
It is a freeing moment when we consider how few of the moments in life are actually within our control. A resilient step is to have a plan, but allow yourself the freedom to work with a contingency plan ‘just in case’. Depending on your personality, you may or may not do well with that option. In fact, you may be the one who has no plan at all. At either end of the spectrum we are all disrupt-able. And that is where the crisis of plans derailed comes in.
Can you release the moment when your plans are not working?
The reminder of not having control over everything is a big one. It is a life ethos and a necessary value check. The real question might be what we do when the control of our plans must be released and ‘Plan B’ becomes the only one available. There is a special moment of leadership in life where we are able to admit that things are not going as planned, but being at peace with the fact that the moment is not ruined.
My holidays were not ruined by the plans being changed…I was just given a great opportunity to reflect!
Eric Friesen 