The Best Laid Plans…
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth”
-Mike Tyson.
Plans
I’m a planner. It’s what I do. I try to plan things down to the last detail. If you’re like me then you realize this is futile because life happens. There are things we can’t control and there are things that we may handle improperly, so our plans go awry. In January of 2010 I thought I would start a career in insurance and I’d travel that path in life. After being shot my career took a back seat, and I needed to get my life back. As I laid there alone in my hospital bed on countless sleepless nights I focused on what I needed to do. Each day at therapy I pushed as hard as I could no matter if it was attempting to put on my own socks or stand in excess of thirty seconds. I couldn’t put on my own socks for over 4 months. So, while that seems like a small challenge it was immense in my condition. I took on these challenges each day to get me to my goal, but still I’d get knocked down. I’d need another surgery to close up my abdomen after nine moths of rehab, and those nine months of progress would be negated. Still I knew where I wanted to be. I wanted to walk and be independent. The immense pain, the tears of an unknown future didn’t matter. I was going to get there. Even as recently as 2 months ago I broke my hip and femur. I was back to a wheelchair and walker, but I knew this wasn’t permanent. Goals are what went after, even if how I was getting there wasn’t in my plans. If you’re not a planner that’s fine too, but there should always be goals at the end. The circuitous ways that we get to our goals doesn’t really matter, but that fact that we have them is important. We can’t just float. We must strive. We must venture. We must take action.
Goals
We all strive in this life to figure out what exactly we want or should do, and it's a challenging concept. We all struggle with this question, and wonder if we made the correct decisions in the past or will make the correct ones in the future. The fact of the matter is that we won't always choose the correct path or make the right decision, but if we have an ultimate goal and purpose we will eventually find our way there. If we question every move we make we don't have the foresight to see the ultimate goal. Step back. Figure out what you want. Now, go all in. It's that simple. There is no definitive path to success, but we must know how we're looking to succeed. Success can be defined in a million different ways, but in the end it should be what ultimately makes us happy.
Experiences
I’ve strived to recover my body after it was destroyed. I’ve strived to walk again. I’ve strived to go to the bathroom on my own again. Along the way there obstacles and my plans weren’t always successful, but I never lost sight of the goals. The same is true of my career path. After everything happened I knew I wanted to help people. I’ve put that in action in some ways, but many others failed. I thought I would do sales and coach, but that didn’t work. I needed to do more. I now teach, and continue to look for avenues to help. The fact is I know my purpose is to help people, to inspire, and to motivate. This goal drives me each day, and I won't stop until it is something I am able to do on a daily basis. Whatever you believe is your purpose, go after it. You're not always going to get it right, but with the belief and knowledge of what you want there is no doubt you can get there.
It’s Friday, have an amazing and productive day. Enjoy the weekend!
-Eddie