Mike Tyson said, "everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face". The first time I heard that, I thought it was funny, and chalked it up to, well, Mike being Mike. As things happened in my life, I started to see the wisdom in Mike's words. I never thought I'd use wisdom and Mike Tyson in the same sentence, but it happened and here's why.
Countless times I've made plans (even called them New Year's resolutions at times) that seem to fall flat before they even get off the ground. What happened? They were good plans/goals/resolutions. There were times when I even had the pretty vision board so that they were beautifully displayed. So, what happened?
I didn't plan to fail.
Now before you tell me that no one plans to fail, let me explain.
Most times when we set goals, we imagine where we want to go, and meticulously list everything it's going to take for us to get there. If the goal is to lose weight, we might know that we need to change our eating habits and get more active. We might invest in a gym membership, some in-home equipment, a personal trainer, and even some cute work out gear.
That's great! But did you remember to consider the bumps in the road that you might encounter?
What happens when a late night at work or a parent teacher conference
or some other issue causes you to miss your scheduled gym night?
What happens when you forgot your healthy lunch in the rush out the door?
What happens when you work late and come home too tired to cook dinner?
If you didn't plan for the failure, you'd get punched in the face, and you'd be knocked out.
Planning for failure doesn't mean that you INTEND to fail,
it's about knowing what you're going to do when you see the punch coming.
It means being flexible with your planning so that a minor inconvenience doesn't become a major setback.
Maybe you can do a quick workout video at home after the meeting.
Maybe you identify healthy take out options around the office
so that you don't revert to the greasy fat-laden foods you're trying to avoid.
Maybe you could prepare meals in advance so that all you have to do is microwave a plate when you come home.
In short, whatever the plan is, make sure that you've first realistically assessed the problem (where could the punches possibly come from?), and then developed a plan that keeps you from being KO'd. It doesn't have to be anything crazy, just remember to do what works for YOU! So, how about it? Are you planning to fail? What's your plan?
Leave a comment below and share your strategy.