There is no plan?

Diana in The Adventures of Johny Bunko says, "There is no plan." The author, Daniel Pink, is not saying "Don't make a plan." He's simply saying, "Don't count on all (or any) of your plans working out."
Many students and young professionals have a hard time coming to terms with this quote, but if you think about it realistically it seems apparent. For example, do you think that 50 percent of the people who get married plan on getting divorced? No! But that's the average rate of failed marriages in the U.S.

So, after thinking about "There is no plan" versus "Don't count on all your plans coming to fruition," do you have a different view of what your future holds? Are you willing to adjust your plans in order to make way for the future?

Comments

  1. FAB_LadeeMay 15, 2011 at 10:16 PM

    My parents has influenced me to think that the path to a successful "life" comes with directions and a well thought out plan. But on the contrary, my viewpoint has completely changed.

    I have switched majors, pursued different passions, and experienced a variety of interests and none of these were planned. I felt lost. Not knowing which direction to take, what schools I should apply for, or what career I wanted to pursue seemed to stress me out and it left me in a constant worry. But I've decided to let my life flow at it's own pace, and I shouldn't beat myself up about my "path" not going as planned. Maybe, every wrong turn and road bump with lead to my success.

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  2. xlindalieuJune 6, 2011 at 5:38 PM

    Actually, after reading "there is no plan" I freaked out! I started really viewing my career and wondered if it was for me. I decided nursing really isn't what I wanted to do with my life because I really found nothing interesting about it at all! And I got extremely anxious because my parents have always taught me to have a sketched out plan of my future and life. After building a picture of my nursing career I completely sank when I realized I don't want to continue it at all.
    But now that I have a new plan, with something I know I will love to do (Vet) I feel way better. And also after reading this, it makes me remember that nothing is permanent, nothing is set in stone, and that I should be more adjustable with life :)

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  3. AnonymousNovember 7, 2011 at 6:40 PM

    I went into my educational goal with the same thought as "There is no plan" because, I knew that it was not going to be perfect and I did not want to delude myself by thinking it would. For the express purpose of not being let down yet again, I began college determined to go semester by semester instead of planning out my every move. In this manner I am allowed to be extremely pleased with whatever outcome I receive instead of having had my hopes set too high and being let down. My future will be awsome as long as I make it that way one step at a time.----> yours Elena

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  4. AnonymousNovember 15, 2011 at 8:36 AM

    Not counting on all your plans working out is very different from saying that there is no plan. Saying that “there is no plan” leads people to think that they have not thought about their future or about what they want to do later on. However the other is indicating that people have thought about their future but they don’t know what will happen and if they can go through with their plans because the future is always uncertain.

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  5. DeVante BrooksJanuary 25, 2012 at 9:21 AM

    I believe there is no set Plan A or B because life isn't set in stone, but some plans can survive with luck and persistance. There are many circumstances for change in one's life that can severely influence their futures. I used to believe that I would go to college to become a civil engineer (my Plan A) but after serious contemplation, graphic design caught my attention because art has become a huge influence in my life. I have made many connections with other artists and some business people through my art and I'm proud of my "Plan B".

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  6. krishneal goelJanuary 25, 2012 at 9:36 AM

    There is no such thing as a set plan. In life, anything can happen that can cause you to alter your decisions regarding your future. You could grow up to think you will become a professional athlete but then, as you grow up, you decide on becoming a lawyer or find out that you weren't as good in sports as you thought you were. My plan A is to become a business man. Like the CEO of a company. Many things can go wrong in my plan and I would have to come up with a plan B. The best way to become successful is to take advantage of all the opportunities that come at you in life.

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  7. Julianna B.February 1, 2012 at 9:07 AM

    Daniel Pink says "don't plan on all of your plans to working out." I can't decide if that's a good thing, or a bad thing. Generally, people make plans to try to try to achieve them, or to go through with them. They don't make plans in hoping that they will fail. But, at the same time, everything's so much more fun when plans don't happen. That's when things turn into an adventure.
    I guess on life, you would want your future that you planned for yourself to happen, but sometimes, life has a whole different plan waiting for you up ahead. Going through life thinking that none of your plans are going to happen, makes you kinda hopeful that something good actually happens. I think it would be quite an adventure to be able to go through life without having to worry about whether your plans are going through or not.

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  8. Clayton ramosMarch 27, 2012 at 10:09 AM

    I have recently come to the conclusion that I should do whatever makes me happy. Having a set plan for your life sucks out all of the fun. If you guide your life off of a specific outline like you would for an essay, youre going to be unsatisfied. Besides, no essay stays the same. You may think your thesis is set, but as your essay continues things may change, new ideas for paragraphs might come into play, and by the time the essay is done, your thesis might not have anything to do with your paper. This is exaclty how life is. You may think you want something, but new factors will come into play and change your world. I have set out at least 5 different plans for my future, and not one of them has even started yet. So Ive decided to take whatever life throws at me, to live life on the edge, not to live by the rules, and to do whatever makes me happy. Because sticking to the plan never works out.

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  9. Hayden BeaudreauMay 14, 2012 at 8:40 PM

    I am a strong believer in Murphy's Law, which states that anything that can go wrong, will indeed, go wrong. It is no fun to live your life according to a "plan". There is nothing spontaneous or out of the ordinary if you live your life following the agenda. Life happens when you are not looking and thats the joy of life. The surprises that face, whether good or bad, is what makes life worth living. It is easier to live life without expectations, that way you'll never get you hopes up about something and end up being disappointed. That way the worst case scenario you shrug it off without being disappointed,however without expecting something, you'll be happily surprised. I embrace changes. I, myself, have changed dramatically in the last few years mentally and physically, this shows that I don't tend to stick to my plans. Plans are simply an idea at a certain point in time. Plans change over time and so do people. So to live life following a plan, seems more like a waste of time, than it seems useful.

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  10. Jeremy TolentinoMay 16, 2012 at 4:39 PM

    My motto in life when it comes to money is that you only live once. When you die, you can't take all the money with you because life is short. My plan is go to college which I am right now,get a degree on my major (auto engineering) and start a career from there. As of now, I'm just going to work to fund myself for school and bills. So everyday,Basically I'm just doing what makes me happy,just being myself.

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  11. UnknownOctober 1, 2013 at 12:08 PM

    All plans are aiming success, but they can fail. People have to prepare "Plan B" for preparing the failure of "Plan A." If my both plans are failed, I will not worry about that so much, because the failures will be methods for avoiding failure in future. The fruition of the plans can be really painful, but it will be a steppingstone for future goal.

    ReplyDelete

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