Have you ever poured yourself into making a big, important, meaningful plan… just to have it all come crashing down? I’m going to tell you a personal story about when that happened to me. It wasn’t the first time, and it surely won’t be the last. I was at the height of excitement, everything was finally all coming together after working tirelessly for years. The plan had changed several times in the process of getting to this point, but it was real this time. I had never felt so good about a previous plan – this one was nothing other than right. Then suddenly I needed a new plan again.
It was the end of a year. How could it have been any more perfect than for everything to come together while welcoming a new year? 2021 was coming to a close. My top career priority for that year was to focus on my research. It had been completed and published. The next phase of research had been completed and I was ready to publish. What I had discovered was sure to revolutionize motherhood. Women and mothers were finally going to get the understanding and support they deserved. I was ready.
In 2021 I only worked with a few, select clients at a time. This allowed me to focus on my research. With that phase behind me, I was ready to serve more clients at a time. Additionally, I would be able to share my research findings far and wide. The information would finally be available to everyone in need of it. All my hard work and dedication was finally going to serve people. That’s why I did it. Little did I know I would need a new plan again.
The Outside World Matters
At the time, I was living in Kyiv, Ukraine. There had been talk of a possible evacuation of Americans. I didn’t think it was likely at first, but as the days passed, it started to become far more likely. Did I need a new plan again? No, surely it would all be okay. Nothing would actually happen, or at least nothing big. If we evacuated it would just be temporary. It would be a little instability and then we would be back to normal life. I certainly wasn’t a stranger to being away from home – some of my greatest work had taken place in hotel rooms. Everything was going to be completely fine.
The coming weeks would prove just how wrong I was.
Our personal worlds so not play out in little bubbles. What happens in the world around us matters. The environment we live in can change what we experience, and that can change our plans. We don’t have control over everything, far from it, but we can control how we respond.
We sure did evacuate. Across the world we flew to rest our heads in a new hotel room. The dreaded, previously hypothetical invasion really did happen. It was a lot worse than we had imagined. I was caring for my kids who I felt were far to young to learn the realities of war. Yet they were experiencing it every time they saw images of their home on the news. My husband was overseas. They had to navigate the thoughts and emotions of missing him while craving his comforting presence more that ever. I felt unqualified to be the adult and parent in this situation.
Let’s just say that my focus had shifted from my big career plans to holding things together at “home” while home was on the other wide of the world.
There is absolutely nothing I regret about shifting my focus from my career to caring for myself and my family during that phase. At the same time, I mourned the loss of the wonderful plans I had made for 2022. This shift impacted not just me, but also all the potential clients I had planned to serve. Throughout this phase I maintained only a few clients at a time instead of the many I had planned to work with. Instead of sharing my research and important message with the masses, that was put on the backburner. It simply wasn’t the time for me to move forward with that part of the plan. I felt a lot of things about not being able to serve the way I had planned. That’s okay. It’s normal.
Life happens. Plans change, even without our permission sometimes. I wasn’t going to give up no matter what. My plan was too important to drop it completely. I still had a message to get out and people to serve. Sure I thought about how hard it was sometimes. Then I reminded myself of the mothers having a hard time, too. I could help them. That’s how I knew it was time for a new plan again.
This article will serve as a letter of encouragement for when a new plan is needed, again or initially. There is always something that can be done.
How do you know when you need a new plan again?
This is a tricky one because the brain is wired for protection. It wants to protect the owner from danger. Sometimes good things can register as danger in the brain, especially growth and new stuff. Plans generally come with a bit of growth and new stuff. Every time we set big goals, and chase them, we need to grow into the people we need to be to accomplish them. Parts of the journey are uncomfortable. Different phases require us to overcome fears and do hard things. We can do all these things and more. Sometimes the brain doesn’t get the memo, or takes a while to catch on. It will throw up warning signs and tell us we’re on the wrong path. The brain does this in the name of protection. However, sometimes it’s just confusing.
Sometimes the brain growing and learning seems more like a need to make a new plan again. In some cases, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. It can take a little detective work to figure out all the signs, but look closely. Fear and doubt can be signs that we’re on the right path, not that we need a new plan again. These emotions pop up when we’re growing, and big accomplishments require growth. It’s up to us to determine if we’re growing in the right direction or if we need to adjust course.
Things to Remember When Facing a New Plan Again
Needing to make a new plan again, no matter how many changes have already been made, does not mean there’s a problem. This is all part of the journey. There is nothing wrong with us as people or with our plans. It’s normal for big, important plans to twist and turn along the way. Otherwise, it’s a sign that we’re dreaming to small and too easy.
Let’s look at evolving plans as refining plans. They just get better with every adjustment. Even when it seems like we’re taking a million steps back, we’re still moving forward. We’re learning how to overcome obstacles that are training us to reach those big goals.
Now, make no mistake: I did not spend my entire 2022 thinking everything was just fine. I questioned and doubted. At times, I even wallowed. It was hard. I certainly didn’t enjoy every minute of it – I got mad, sad, and frustrated. That’s okay. I’m human and I want to be in tune with all that life has to offer, the good and the bad. Through it all, I also embraced and appreciated. Some days it seemed like everything was completely awful, and still there were positives. I dug for those positives while honoring the tough stuff, too.
So, part of making a new plan again can be to mourn the loss of what you had planned before. It’s okay to feel all the feels. Use all you have been through and all your challenges to make that new plan.
When to Make a New Plan Again
Did I want to wait an enter year to follow through with come of the plans I made for 2022? Absolutely not. However, apparently I wasn’t ready for that massive plan. It turns out I needed to grow through a few more experiences first. Otherwise, those experiences wouldn’t have happened. Instead, I would have been able to check off all those goals, but I didn’t. It wasn’t for a lack of trying, that’s for sure. The truth is that every time I tried to foredge ahead through it all something else smacked me in the face. The list is comical (only when looking back on it, of course). I knew it wasn’t the right time to move forward when I looked inside and was truly honest with myself.
Now is the time to make a new plan again. I know this because it finally feels right. I am more grounded and ready than ever before. No, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a million obstacles ahead of me. It means that I am able to face all of them head on because I have done what I needed to do to grow through all the challenges and lessons that came my way this past year. I took care of myself when needed and created a strong foundation for myself, especially when it felt like I had no foundation at all.
We don’t need to have it all 100% together to take that first step. All we need to do is be still for a moment. From there we can take a look, see the road in front of us, and find the best direction to head.
I’m here with you as you plan and re-plan.
Sometimes it can be tough to see the best direction on the path when you’re deep in a jungle of confusion. I’ve got your back. Let’s have a chat. We can plan it all out, decide on your next step, and then journey through it together. You don’t have to do this alone.
Click here to learn about how we can work together.
This blog post is about a plan (a new plan again). Here are more blog posts related to the word ‘plan’ (but not a new plan again) from other sites:
My Top 10 Planning Hacks by Amy Cobb
https://www.tayloredintent.com/blog/my-top-10-planning-hacks
A New Year Plan by Regina Marcazzo-Skarka
https://reginamarcazzoskarka.com/2023/01/01/january-1-2023-a-new-year-plan/