The Plan is Not the Goal

I talk a lot about not giving up and persevering. I want to make this clear that this applies to goals not to methods. While it is true we do not fail if we do not stop trying it is also true that if something is not working we need to make changes.

When we find ourselves not reaching our goals no matter how hard we try to get there we need to examine the process. Let’s take me and my attempts to get my finances under control. I have been doing the same thing for weeks. Trying to save the money I make via paypal but spending it on food because I can load a Starbucks card with it.

This has been a strategy for staying fed, but it does not meet my goal of managing my money. This week with my pay day from the deli I have made a new start. The new plan is to buy foods that do not require refrigeration, that are easy to prepare and cheap. This means fruits and vegetables for the most part. With this plan feeding myself via Starbucks is over and hopefully I can actually save money.

This change means working towards the goal but changing the path. This is what we all must do when we find that the way we are going is not getting us where we want to be. We cannot become so focused on how we get there that we waste our energy and collapse by the side of the road. The goal is what is important to not give up, the road can change.