“I have a plan.”

It’s said that a goal without a plan is just a wish. But what happens when all you seem to do is plan?

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Planning. Some have the gift, some… er, not so much.

And yet… and yet… the unexpected inevitably happens. (2020, anyone?)

What else can you do but adapt? Some of us can maneuver a little more adeptly than others, some of us get royally cranked when things don’t go exactly according to plan, and others of us walk the grey zone in between.

I am an unapologetic planner, with the ability to make those last-minute “no one saw this coming” changes in order to make the best of a situation without losing my shit.

Well… most of the time. 😉

At some point, we have to get off the ground.

Pilots have to log a flight plan. They can’t just jump in an airplane and go where ever they choose, whenever they choose. It’s not like a random road trip with your besties. It’s a whole process: First, they check the log book to see if the plane is ready to fly, signed off by a mechanic that it’s good to go. Then they check the weather and choose an alternate route if things are looking ugly. Then they check to see if there are any runway closures or maintenance going on where they want to land. And of course, they check their fuel and make sure they have the right amount for all the souls on board to safely arrive at their destination.

I’m kind of a pilot of all the “planes” I keep in the air at any given time. I have my checklists: Is this campaign ready and signed off (with an appropriate budget)? Are conditions right for this project, or are there other external (or internal) factors to consider before taking it on? Should we plan this for another time? Should we alter our approach in the messaging? Do we have the resources and materials? Can the team handle the additional work and see it through to completion? Can we land this bird safely and successfully?

I take some pride in having plans made, getting the checklists written up, having innumerable calendars flagged and color-coded and scribbled upon and cross-referenced. Part of it is that writing it down grinds it into my brain at a deeper level, and I have those resources at the ready. With my plans mapped out, I have a good handle on what needs to be done, when, where and by whom.

Having said all that, I fully admit that I tend to get wrapped up in the “getting ready to be ready”. I’m a pilot who checks and checks and re-checks again, updates the flight path because she’s decided on a different destination, then delays take off because she wonders if she should be making this flight at all.

I can plan all manner of things, but I hesitate to launch that which my heart most wants.

Like — oh, I don’t know — starting a blog…

What’s the delay?

The deadline-driven projects, I don’t have this issue… I’ve always worked to deadlines. Community events for hundreds of people, or getting a news release out for 8 am Monday? No sweat. All is queued up and ready.

But when it’s that “dream project” that has no hard-and-fast, drop-dead date to it — something of my own desire and not something being pushed onto me from outside — it becomes a wish. Plans of all shape and size, but no thrust to take off.

I understand now what has held me back this whole time.

Aside from all my business-related work, there’s another kind of work I’ve been doing for the past two years that, as I write this post, helps to explain why I behave this way. It’s work I’ve done on and for myself. Because of this second stream of attention, I can see that the root cause of my reluctance is societal conditioning and psychological wounds from my childhood. (I had a very good upbringing but shit still happens that scars you.)

I’ll get into all that in my next post, but being aware of it is half the battle. Now, it’s simply implementation — because that will in due course heal the hurts and silence the bullies in my head.

Is any of this relatable?

Right now, I am in planning mode for 2025 and of course, the primary focus is on marketing – I mean, it is the lion’s share of what I do, and have done, for going on 40 years. I’m mapping out quarterly campaigns, events, lead-generation activities, social and digital strategies and — as I look back on all those plans that have collected dust for the past 18 months — a lot of programs and offers of my own to launch.

What plans have you made for the new year? What would you like to get done in 2025? And how might I support you?