Invest Planning not Worry

Contrary to the belief of some, worry is not a necessary condition of maturity. You can retain the expectant nature of youth—the utopia of perfection without the problems. Maturity means that you now have the power to create the conditions for that utopian ideal to become reality. Rather than worrying about the seemingly inevitable challenges that you may come up against, plan for them. Take ownership. Take control. A well-thought out plan will embrace all the “worries” that can be conceived. The plan will also allow for unforeseen problems by including a measure of flexibility.

Relationships that feed you and those that offer real potential problems are both important in developing a good plan. Do not just listen to those that you love and respect. Fearfulness and mistrust keep potentially beneficial relationships from blossoming. Consider the value of inner circles of influence and other circles of access.

Circles of influence guide you with support and challenge. They extend your internal dialogue and question you. These inner circles have access to hurt you at times, but the pruning results in your growth. Count on these relationships to be consistent reflections on your plan.

Circles of access are those relationships that represent connections to markets and other circles. These relationships are not as close, but their purpose is clear. Do not consider them as “family” though they may use those terms. Circles of access exist for your utilization. Factor the ebb and flow cycle of these relationships into your plan.

Learn from the experience of others. Notice what they did wrong that caused them to think ill of your attempt. A good plan includes attention to the usefulness of failure in the short term. Unforeseen things happen, but live within the reality that hard work pays off. You could be wrong. The virtue in being wrong is in the learning, to be able to use failure in the short term to ensure sustainable success in the long term.