Things won’t go as planned.
We see statements like this all over the Internet and nod in recognition—like you’re doing right now.
Like I used to do before scrolling on to the next thing and not taking the message to heart.
Not really.
And why should I?
Things were going along the way things were going along.
Until they weren't.
Vision Boards Be Damned
When my life blew up the fall of 2021...
The pandemic was in full swing. Like a lot of people, I had adjusted to the changes that event brought us all and had my next set of goals lined up.
My North Star was clearly in my sights and that was that.
And then — the metaphorical storm rolled in, blacking out the sky and every sense of direction I thought I was following.
Forget all those vision boards I'd made over the years.
My mom got Covid (and then long Covid), I did not return to the Northwest after my summer vacation in the Northeast, and then my dad died unexpectedly that November.
Suddenly, nothing in my life looked familiar.
Things Won't Go as Planned
In the blink of an eye I:
-Became my mom’s full time caregiver (she has Parkinson’s and can’t live independently)
-Moved from one coast to another, back into the home and town I grew up in (and honestly could not wait to leave at 18. Never in a million years did I imagine I’d be living here again)
-Was consumed with grief for the loss of my dad and the loss of my life as I’d known it and had to keep going
I also:
-Wrote and published my 6th book, arguably the most vulnerable, personal and powerful book I've written yet
-Kept my podcast going, continuing to interview incredible people who answer the call to leadership every day
-Discovered how resilient and strong I really am
-Made new friends and deepened existing friendships
None of these things were on my "next level" goal list.
Yes, I had planned to write another book. Definitely not the one I ended up writing.
And at the time of the personal life upheaval, my podcast had been a significant part of my creative work for eight years. I had no intentions of moving on from it.
But everything else?
Not in a million years.
What's that Old Saying? Oh Ya...
Have you ever seen this saying floating around meme-land?
Make plans, God laughs.
Until I experienced this dramatic change two years ago, the message about things won’t go as planned had no soil in which to take root in my life.
Today, those roots are growing fast and furiously, feeding and nourishing the tree of me in ways I could never have imagined despite all the vision boards I've crafted over the years.
I know my North Star is still up there, shining brightly even when storms roll in as they do.
It’s not until we experience something big or sudden or unexpected that we sit up and take notice.
Which is the point of this post today.
That we sit up and take notice more often.
That we truly go deep and ask the big questions.
That we accept that no matter how much we believe we are in control, we are definitely not.
If you’re asking some big questions right now, take heart and have faith that things will work out.
Perhaps not as planned.
Perhaps with a lot of tears and frustration and four-letter words coming out of your mouth at times.
I get it.
Still fighting some fights with myself and coming to terms with how things are.
Still adjusting to the changes.
But --
Even though these last two years have been the hardest of my life, they have also been the most fulfilling.
Things won't go as planned.
And honestly, despite all the sorrow and heartbreak and change and uncertainty, I would not want my life to be any other way.
