Plans & control
For many in the US, we’ve now been living under this pandemic induced ‘new normal’ for the past four months or so. One thing that I’ve noticed lately is that so many people talk about making plans or really their desire but inability to make plans under the current circumstances. I get it, I really do — people love plans. But, why is that? I’ve spent a bit of time thinking about this lately. Not only because of the pandemic, but because it is very common for a lot of small business owners to get caught up in the planning phase. What is it about this activity that so many people love?
My conclusion might be a bit controversial: because it’s gives them control. People actually love control more than they love plans. Planning is just a mechanism to feel in control.
Think about it. If people loved to execute on those plans as much as the actual planning itself - there’d be significantly more financially successful and stable businesses. But during execution too many things pop up beyond a person’s control. Why take the risk of something potentially spiraling out of control when you can spend more time in this imaginative & hopeful phase? For some people, it might feel better to simply choose not to execute rather than take those risks of the unknown and uncontrollable because they are STILL in control of their decision not to do anything. This can be potentially detrimental to your success.
Here’s the thing, you have a lot more control than you might think. YOU are in control of how you react to every situation in your life — this applies professionally and personally. Even during those times when you feel like there are so my external factors influencing your mood, productivity, progress — and you feel like you’re relinquishing your ability to control the situation — you actually have a huge opportunity here.
Remember this:
You can control how much you prepare in advance.
You can control how you show up.
You can control how you react to things outside of your control.
You can control how you handle this situation.
You can control what you decide to do next.
The next time you find yourself stuck in the planning phase or apprehensive to move forward, ask yourself — what is really holding you back? Remind yourself about things you can keep within your control at every phase of the process.
