Planning for your obstacles.
No one likes it when life doesn’t go as planned. We all have times when the outcome of an event doesn’t play out as we anticipated, or the day got chaotic, and we simply could not fit everything in as we had originally wanted to. The difference-maker in all of this is how we react when the plan goes out the window. We can choose to let it ruin our tomorrow or we can learn from what this day brought us.
When most of us think of planning, we think of something we do ahead of time to prepare for something important or schedule oriented. Many people follow a workout plan, a nutrition plan, or both. What most of us don’t plan for is obstacles that will inevitably arise while we are attempting to follow the preset plan. That’s where the magic happens; when we strategize ahead of time for what we are going to do when we stray from the plan.
No one can control everything; trust me I’ve tried! Personally, when I feel powerless, I also tend to feel lost and like I have no definitive direction. There IS a solution to not reacting this way however and it took me a long time to put it into action in my own life, but once I did, I knew I needed to share it with others. The only thing we DO ever have control over, is our reaction to an action that has taken place. For example, if I miss my morning workout because I overslept, I don’t have to say ‘screw it’ and not work out that day. I can plan for this type of event and store the solution in my arsenal of how to conquer obstacles BEFORE they ever occur. I know that if I miss my morning workout that my back-up plan is to train after dinner. I know to limit my food consumption at this meal so that I don’t overeat and talk myself out of it and I accept ahead of time that my workout will more than likely not be as long or effective, but I keep the promise to myself that I WILL get some type of movement in.
By planning for obstacles before they rear their ugly head, we give ourselves a fighting chance to still succeed in a task, but in a different way. We learn not to throw in the towel and call it a loss, but instead we pivot and continue forward with new momentum. If we can learn the skill of change and adaptation, we can truly be prepared to combat any excuse our brain can drill up.