A Plan Can Make All The Difference
Posted: June 04, 2015
“I love it when a plan comes together.” If you’re around my age, you might recognize that quote from John “Hannibal” Smith. Hannibal was the leader on the “A-Team” series from the mid 80’s. Younger readers may recognize him from the recent movie remakes.
Each week on the show, the former special forces A-Team came to the rescue of someone in desperate need. They always worked Hannibal’s precarious plan (under questionable circumstances), and after a bunch of shooting, explosions, and some fast talking, they always came out on top.
Of course, that’s when Hannibal would sit back with his cigar, and say “I love it when a plan comes together.” You couldn’t really fault him for that. It was one of the most expected punch-line moments of the show.
It’s pretty satisfying when you get a breakthrough. Especially when you’ve just come through the ringer, and you’ve been working on it for awhile. You made a plan and worked your plan. You have to have a plan.
It’s even Biblical. “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord (Jeremiah 29:11). And from Proverbs, “the plans of the diligent lead to abundance…” (21:5). So God plans, and the diligent plan. Hmm. Might be something there.
It’s pretty simple. You need a plan. Your plan needs to tell you how you get from this level to the next. It needs to lay out your track to success, and it probably also needs to impose some kind of self discipline or self control on you.
Last week, I mentioned my panic after realizing what all I had to do in these two graduate classes I’m taking. Lucky for me, the instructor has a plan, and a very organized one, too.
Both classes (with the same instructor) have a syllabus and a detailed check sheet that lists every reading and writing assignment for each of the eight weeks. I’d be dead in the water without them. It lets me take things a step at a time, yet see at a glance what’s coming next.
As I knock out one reading assignment, I check it off. Then it’s on to the next thing (usually a writing assignment). And like Hannibal (the good one), I get kind of a perverse pleasure whenever I get to check something off.
It means I’m making progress. I’m getting there. I have a plan and I’m working my plan. I can’t focus on the next weeks below, there’s too much information. That would be depressing. I just focus on THIS week’s objectives and try to knock em out, one at a time. And check em off. I like doing that.
I didn’t come up with this plan. Someone much smarter than me did. But I can adopt it for my own. And if I’m disciplined and stick with it, I can get the same results: Knowledge, two classes and six credit hours toward my certificate, and hopefully, a couple A’s to boot!
Let me point out again, it doesn’t have to be your plan, at least not at first. But it can become yours. Look at all the kids that graduated from school last week. They didn’t design the curriculum. But they sure followed it.
It’s the same thing in martial arts classes, like our Karate for Kids program, or our cool new Adult program. The path to Black Belt and even Mastery is clearly laid out for them.
All they have to do is start walking that path. Step by step, class by class, lesson by lesson, and belt by belt, until one day, you look down and you’re a Black Belt, or even a Master.
Or if you need to lose weight and get in shape, you find and follow a proven plan like Biggest Losers, which is just starting.
Or the great new program out at Paris Community Hospital/FMC.
It doesn’t have to be my plan. But I’m pretty sure you have to have a plan. And then you have to work your plan.
Did I mention work? It takes work. Lots of it. Do enough work and you’ll get there sooner or later. Even if it’s later, that’s ok too, cause you still get there!
Sometimes you’ll meet bumps in the road. Go over em, or go around, but keep on going. Just keep working that plan. If you quit, you get nothing. If you stick, you get everything!
It’s going to take you at least 10,000 steps a day to lose weight. More is better. You also need to start tracking what you eat. MyFitnessPal is a great tool that will help you there.
If you want a more detailed plan, with help and support, come join us in Biggest Loser “25.” I can’t wait to see who does well this time around. Cause I love it when a plan comes together.