Planning

It’s nice outside. I have tons to do today. But I made a commitment to blog at least 365 times this year so I wanted to write about something many people don’t think about or give a lot of importance to.

Why Planning?

Perhaps too many people use the phrase strategic planning when they are building a business, at work, or setting goals. The truth is simple, planning helps set you up for success. But there’s also a balance to the amount of time you spend planning versus actually doing actual work.

The reason I’m thinking about planning is that I recently had a 1:1 lunch with the founder of a local consulting firm and one of the key learning was about planning. This is one of the best ways to overcome fear is to plan action.

“Fear Is The Simply The Anticipation Of Pain”

Think about it. What are you most afraid of? Are you afraid of the dark? Are you afraid of snakes? What about heights?

It’s not actually the fear itself, it’s the pain that you might have which is associated to that fear. Is there a scary intruder or viscous monster in the dark? Will that snake actually bite and poison you? Will you fall off the height and die?

So then what exactly are you afraid of?

Action Overcomes Fear

So now that you know what you are afraid of, acting directly in response to that fear is the best way to overcome the fear. For example, turn on the lights and check all your closets for monsters. Talk to a snake owner about the dangers of snakes and venomous creatures. Secure yourself when on top of a skyscraper or a tall mountain.

So what exactly is my point? These are really simply examples of fears; however, doing something immediately response to those fears will help you overcome them. Now, these might relate to innate fears we have as humans against dangerous creatures (like fictitious closet monsters) or fear of the unknown (like what is exactly at the bottom of the ocean).

But take an every day fear like the fear of confrontation, fear of speaking, fear of failure, fear of success, fear of family, fear of relationships. Most of these fears are simply anticipating pain related to those fears. So if you acted in a direct way to those fears, you could overcome and reduce the pain associated with your fear.

Planning Helps You Act

Action is hard. Planning takes time. But setting yourself up in preparation to conquer your fears is the best way to overcome them. So many people undervalue planning, myself included, that when the moment comes for them to shine, they are not ready. When it comes to fear, if they aren’t prepared to act, they experience the pain.

Once the pain point occurs, the fear is greatly lessened and learning occurs. If a mistake happened, then there is opportunity for growth. If success occurred, then reflection and enjoyment occurs.

Maybe this is a long way of saying “plan more to overcome your fears.” And being purposeful about life by planning and setting goals is one path to living a more fulfilled life.

What Do You Think?

If you got this far, than these types of conversations probably spark your interest and you like to think about them. Why not share those thoughts here? Looking forward to hearing what thoughts people are thinking in the comments below!