When life doesn’t always go as planned.
Life doesn’t always go as planned. It can be hard, frustrating, and even stressful, but when it all goes wrong, there is something you can do about it…and the good news is, it doesn’t have to take much effort to change your life around.
We all face obstacles in life. Some we can plan for and prepare for. Others are things we never thought we’d face.
When life doesn’t go as planned, how do you deal with it? This article is about facing our fears, dealing with setbacks, and moving past them.
Why Life Doesn’t Always Go According to Plan
We’ve all heard the saying “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s true!
Life can be unpredictable, and sometimes things just happen. But they don’t have to end up being negative. If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve encountered at least one setback in your life.
If so, you may be wondering: How can I turn my bad situation into a good one?
I’ve found that the key to turning bad situations around is to embrace change and to stay optimistic.
We live in a fast-paced world where everything happens so quickly. We’re too busy working to work, playing to play, and running around to run.
Sometimes life throws us curveballs, and we find ourselves in a situation where we don’t have time to plan.
Let’s face it, none of us get everything right the first time. But by accepting that and not expecting perfection, you can become a better version of yourself.
How to Deal with Change and Uncertainty
How to Deal with Change and Uncertainty
As humans, we’re all scared of change and uncertainty. Sometimes, it’s an everyday change you didn’t notice, like changing your smartphone’s operating system.
Other times, it’s the kind of change you’ve been looking forward to, like when you move house, buy a new car, or get married.
Sometimes you find yourself in a situation where you think “I’m just going to throw my hands up in the air and walk away.” This is the worst thing you can do in life. You must learn to accept that things won’t always go according to plan.
Acceptance of change is a skill that can be learned, and it’s often easier if you’re faced with a challenge you know you can overcome.
Here’s the thing. The path to success isn’t always a straight line. Instead, it’s a series of ups and downs, hurdles and surprises, and you can’t just stop at the top of each obstacle.
You might not know how to deal with change, uncertainty, or both. Let’s look at how you can deal with them.
1. Take Action
One of the most important things you can do when facing change is to take action. Don’t wait for the perfect time to act, because if you do, you’ll probably end up waiting a long time.
When you feel uncertain, it’s easy to procrastinate, put off, and think about the future. But this only delays the inevitable.
So instead, take action now.
2. Understand the Problem
Change is a complex issue. While it’s true that we can’t predict everything that will happen in the future, we can learn from the past.
Learn from the past and you can be more prepared for what comes next.
3. Prepare Yourself
This is a simple concept, but it’s a critical one. If you’re not prepared, you can’t act.
For instance, if you’re about to start a new job, you need to prepare yourself mentally.
Ask yourself questions like:
* How will I cope with the stress?
* What will I need to do to improve my performance?
* How will I keep myself motivated?
4. Be Realistic
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you can control everything.
You can’t.
Instead, be realistic.
5. Seek Help
Sometimes, you can’t change your situation on your own.
When that happens, it’s important to seek help.
Ask for help and you can get support and advice on how to move forward.
Plan A vs. Plan B vs. Reality
Plan A vs. Plan B vs. Reality
I’m sure it comes to no surprise that life does not follow a simple, linear path. The truth is, life by its own nature itself… is quite unpredictable. Most of us encounter hard times and bumps in the road, but few of us can predict them.
We all have plans. We make goals. We set out to accomplish certain things in life.
Most of the time, we don’t see the obstacle that gets in the way of us reaching those goals.
Obstacles can be simple, such as not having enough money to buy a car. Or they can be complex, such as having a chronic illness that makes it difficult to work.
No matter what the obstacle is, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by it.
We tend to have Plan A goals, Plan B goals, and Reality goals.
Plan A goals are the ones we set out to accomplish. They can be big or small, and they are often based on a single goal. For example, if you want to get a promotion at your job, you might set out to get a raise.
Plan B goals are the ones you think you can achieve after you complete your Plan A goals. They might be smaller than the Plan A goals, or they might be a different type of goal. For example, you might decide to save more money or learn a new skill.
Reality goals are the ones you actually accomplish. They’re often full of various life twists and turns resembling the chart above. But that’s okay.
I jump all in, making a pivot or a different plan as soon as things aren’t working out, and changing course as needed. The main thing is to continue in a positive forward momentum.
Don’t Let Fear Stop You From Achieving Your Dreams
Face your fears.
If you’re afraid of failure and disappointment, you’re not going to be able to move forward.
Don’t fear failure, but instead, learn from it.
Don’t let fear stop you from achieving your dreams.
Fear is a natural part of life. We all face challenges every day. Some we can plan for and prepare for. Others are things we never thought we’d face.
What if you could turn this into an opportunity? What if you could face your fears head on, overcome them, and move forward?
The good news is, it doesn’t have to take much effort to change your life around.
In fact, there’s a lot you can do, and here’s why:
1. You can’t control everything. But you can control your actions.
2. You can’t control other people. But you can control your attitude.
3. You can’t control your circumstances. But you can control your mindset.
4. You can’t control what happens. But you can control your response.
5. You can’t control your environment. But you can control your emotions.
6. You can’t control what other people think of you. But you can control your own perception.
7. You can’t control your circumstances. But you can control your decisions.
9. You can’t control what other people say. But you can control your reactions.
10. You can’t control your surroundings. But you can control your mindset.
What is Really Important
Let’s start with something simple, but often overlooked: What is really important?
In other words, if you’re struggling to achieve a goal, ask yourself what that goal is really worth.
It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind, but taking a step back is essential.
Life has a funny way of throwing curve balls at us that we never saw coming. We don’t know what we’re going to face, and this makes us feel anxious.
A lot of people get upset when they face a problem, but they don’t have the tools to deal with it. They feel like they have to deal with it alone.
However, you don’t have to face problems alone. If you want to make the best out of life, you need to have the ability to deal with it.
If you have a negative feeling about a problem, you will be stuck. You’ll be too scared to face it, and this will cause you to stay stuck. However, if you face the problem and you still feel scared, you’ll be able to move past it.
While it is easier to focus on the problem, it is more important to focus on the solution.
Inspirational Quotes When Things Don’t go as Planned
So… we’ve pretty much established no one is immune from life not going as planned. But for those of us who are ‘resilent’, ‘focused’ and ‘flexible’, we can use these opportunities as life experience as change equal growth.
The following are 15 of my favorite inspirational quotes when needed in these times of uncertainty.
“Sometimes, unexpected events can end up being life blessing.”
Beth Elkassih
“Just because something isn’t happening for you right now, doesn’t mean that it will never happen.”
Unknown
“In life, many things don’t go according to plan. If you fall, get back up. If you stumble, re-gain your balance. Never give up.”
Unknown
“Life has certain things planned. I find, for some people, it takes you places you don’t want to go but the path leads to where you need to be.
Kristen Ashley
“Things don’t always happen the way we planned. As we learn to trust in God’s plan, we will see that He has our best interests at heart.”
Dan Ellis
“I tend to roll with the punches so if things don’t go exactly as planned, I always perceive it as the universe making things the way they should be.”
Mike Ruiz
“Sometimes, it doesn’t take another person to mend a broken heart, it takes acceptance that things don’t always go the way they were planned and just move on with life.”
Shaniah Blue
“Things don’t always go as planned, but it’s when you make a plan out of the unplanned and make the best of the unlikely things In life.”
Auliq Ice
“When a million little things go right, that’s called success. Failure functions as the great leveler. When things don’t go as planned, it’s humbling. It’s important to make mistakes along the way, or we would be impossible to live with.”
Judy Frankel
“If your dream dies, dream another one. If things don’t work out the way you’ve planned, God has a better plan for you.”
Joel Osteen
“I don’t think anything I do in life is planned. Sometimes I regret that and I feel like I try to take ahold of the wheel, but I’m also always super excited when things pop up spontaneously and when I’m a little bit out of my depth. I just find that that thrills me.”
Author: Liz Phair
“Things might not go as planned, but at the end of the day it’s up to me to take the risks and do what I love most. And I don’t owe anybody an explanation. My journey is my journey.”
Author: Janelle Monae
“When you come to the edge of all that you know, you must believe one of two things: There will be ground to stand. Or you will grow wings to fly.”
O.R. Melling
“Someday everything will make perfect sense. So, for now, laugh at the confusion, smile through the tears, and keep reminding yourself that everything happens for a reason.”
Unknown
“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” –
Maya Angelou
In Conclusion
Our lives can change quickly and unexpectedly. In those situations, it’s hard to know what to do. But as this blog tells us, although life plans are unpredictable, we can move forward and either embrace them as life lessons and/or embrace them as positive serendipity events and be thankful.
