It Ain’t Fixed in Stone

Or at least, it’s often better if it’s not.  This past weekend has been a lesson in flexibility and malleability for me.  I mean, I’m generally a pretty flexible person.  That being said, there are definitely some pictures which I have fixed in my mind that I often misinterpret as indelible.  It’s as though they’ve been drawn in permanent marker and there’s no altering them to save my life.  The irony is that these pictures, images, ideas are only as permanent as I make them.  I can, in fact, actually change them as I wish, when I wish.

When it comes to the achievement of goals and objectives, the same holds true.  These plans are not necessarily fixed in stone — they can totally shift and morph and evolve as I shift and morph and evolve.  The challenge that exists for me, is my understanding — born of reading such authors as Napoleon Hill — that those who are successful create a clear picture in their minds and rarely (if ever) change the picture.  Hill describes successful people as those who “make decisions quickly and rarely change  their minds.”  Somehow, I’ve translated this to an idea that says plans  must be carved in stone.  Well, I’m realizing that this isn’t necessarily the case.

While my decision to accomplish a certain task must be definitive and solid, there is a way in which it behooves me to be flexible in how I reach that objective.  Sometimes, the path I lay out for myself isn’t the most efficient or effective in terms of reaching my desired goal.  So, what needs to change isn’t my picture of the goal, but rather my plan for the achievement of that goal.  In other words, I still hold the vision of the goal, but then I go with the flow in terms of reaching the prize.  By keeping my eye on the prize and allowing myself to be open to how it’s reached, I can actually reach my objective more efficiently.

Bottom-line:  it’s time to get comfortable with pencils for plans, even while I write my goals in ink.  That way, the goal stays fixed, but I can find the easiest way to get there, adapting my plans as necessary.  It’s a good thing.