How Backup Plans Can Help You Achieve Your Goal
We could change our plan, but not our destination
Life might not go easy as we plan. Sometimes we plan well, but the process is complicated or even stalled because of unpredictable circumstances. Will we be disappointed? Of course. We’re just human, aren’t we?
The question is, do we want to stop there? Do we want to waste what we have planned for a long time? Do we want to give up our goal? Therefore, having backup plans on our way to achieving our goal is necessary. Here’s why.
We get another way to achieve our goal
Let me give you an analogy. We are planning to go somewhere. On our way, the road is in damage. We can’t pass that road, but we need to go to that place. Are we going to turn around and go back home? Or are we going to turn around and find another way to go to our destination?
There is an old proverb, “All roads lead to Rome” which means many ways to achieve a goal.
This country I’m currently live wasn’t in my first plan. I always wanted to live abroad, but not here. I got accepted into one of the best UK universities. I prepared for all that it took to go there, but my father passed away 2 months before my departure. I canceled my plan because we were in grief and didn’t want to leave too far that time.
That month was also my last month in my previous company. I needed to get a new job. I thought it was my time to try to live abroad (I guess my dad didn’t want me to mourn for a long time). So, I decided to carry on with my backup plan. I leaped faith to go to this current country and did the job hunt. I got a job, and this country is close to my country.
When our plan doesn’t go as planned, find a backup plan. It might be different from the original, but we could reach our goal. So, don’t give up!
No room for negativity
Sometimes when we fail, we could be angry. We might blame others as the cause of our failure. We might also blame ourselves, without realizing sometimes there are things that we can’t control, no matter how good we plan it. Where could this lead? Give up our goal. Let go of our dream.
When I needed to cancel my departure due to my dad’s passing, I was angry. I was mad at the universe. Why did my dad have to pass away? I wanted to blame the university too. I couldn’t bring forward my application for next year. I needed to re-apply. It means I would start from 0 again. Go through the essay, IELTS, and other stuff again. Waste what I did previously.
But, who would know it will happen? Who would know that I had to cancel my plan? It would be inappropriate for me to leave very far when we were still mourning.
Fortunately, I had backup plans. I chose this current country as it is close to my country. 1-hour flight and it would be easy for me to see my family. My first plan didn’t go as I planned, but I didn’t have time to blame others and be angry anymore because I was busy applying for jobs and preparing all my stuff to leave.
If we have backup plans, we still could achieve our goal, because we wouldn’t stop there. We wouldn’t give up our goal and get angry or blame the situation. We will be busy implementing the backup plans. There won’t be any room for negativity.
We might get what we need along the process
As our backup plans might be different from the original, we might find other things along the way. Those things could be the things that we need to achieve our goal. And who knows that they could make our way faster.
It could be someone who could loop us to another person related to our goal. It could be an inspiration. It could be an education for us to master our skills. All these things might not be the things we jot down in the first place, but we find it on our way with the backup plans.
I found an interest in interior design and writing in this country. They give me new opportunities when I burn out with my career in law. Interior design and writing give me new hope that there’ll be another path I could take. If I left for my previous destination, I might not know I have this interest. I might not know that career in law is not my passion anymore.
As for takeaways, we need backup plans in our life as they could help us to reach our goals. We could change our plan, but not our destination.
Thank you for reading.
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