While sitting down to write this blog, I find myself smack in the middle of two intersections. You see, I hadn't planned to sit down and write blogs today, but now that the creative juices are flowing, I've already written three and I’m considering writing three more.
Anything planned makes the creative side of me cringe. When my coach first started talking to me about blocking out a day to plan all your social media content for the next couple weeks, it hurt my creative heart. This didn’t feel authentic or original; it felt forced. But after much growth, I can see and appreciate the discipline it takes to plan out content. Yes, even in the midst of this rebellion against my time today, I understand its importance.
Planning is the friend of progress. Think about the people you know who are successful. It doesn’t matter what area of life they are successful in; I can guarantee that behind their success there is preparation and planning.
Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”
I remember a time when a friend and I had some amazing inspiration for a business. Everyone we talked to about the business loved the idea too. We began researching some things but never took the time to dig in as deep as we should have in order to see the business take root and thrive. Why? Because working on things felt forced and we wanted things to flow naturally.
You see, I used to believe that if I had to work really hard at something, then it was probably because I didn’t have enough faith in God to deliver. I’m not even going to waste time exploring where that idea came from, but I know it is false. We are not meant to sit around and twiddle our thumbs waiting for God to make all our dreams come true. Likewise, we are not meant to become a slave to our vision and forsake times of rest.
Today, I was struck by spontaneous inspiration. While sorting through some old emails, an idea sparked for a blog. Rather than jot it down and move along, I followed that white rabbit through the hole to Wonderland and have spent a few hours exploring all that there is. (For my nonfiction readers, I got distracted and have now been writing blogs instead of finishing the other tasks that were actually on my to-do list for the day.)
I’m not sure that planning comes easy for anyone, but I do believe it is a necessary discipline every individual, especially us business owners, should acquire. Despite what some may think, money is not our most valuable resource; time is. Improper management of this resource can prove to be fatal because there is no way to replenish it.
Playing with your kids in the backyard, having a night out with your spouse, visiting with an old friend—these things can get lost amongst time and never recovered. Planned content doesn’t just apply to what we post on blogs or social media. It applies to all areas of our lives. Posting a blog is not at the top of my priority list, but helping others is. If I can sit down for three hours and write up some encouraging blogs, I have now spent my time wisely because those three hours will have the potential to inspire others far into the future. Sitting and reading books over and over again with my youngest son sometimes felt like a waste of time. His brothers never enjoyed reading as much as he did. But now that he is 9 years old and about to become a published author, I can see the benefit of blocking out time to read with him multiple times a week.
Spontaneous inspiration can be fun and feel good in the moment, but planned content will lead to progress in the long run.