Plan A or Plan B
Plan A. This is where the dream is conceived, the vision is attached in your heart. Hold onto it. It becomes your why, your hope, your fuel, your drive, and this is your incubation period. This is where the dream stays alive, you are in alignment, and you walk with assuredness, vulnerability and faith.
Plan B. The discovery phase. This is when Plan A doesn’t quite work out the way you thought that it would. It doesn’t look the way thought it would look. The truth is, it never does. You may have experienced rejection or betrayal. If you have experienced any trauma, then the disappointment is enough to make you lose yourself and take you off track and lose sight of your dream. Even if only for a little while. You have chosen a different vessel but the dream is very much still alive. You will find your footing but maybe you still don’t experience the fulfilment that you require. It’s coming though.
Back to Plan A. So, you experienced the rejection, the opposition, the disappointment, but you didn’t give up. Plan A is where you will find your fulfillment, but first you need to learn, grow, upskill and become so much stronger and wiser to carry your vision. Yes, you will change lives, but your dream will change yours.
The Dream
Have you ever had a dream for your life? A vision so big that the magnitude and the scope of your dream will change lives incredibly. Change countries even. This vision is guaranteed to attract opposition, unbelief, sceptics, destruction, dream stealers, copycats, haters, spies and thieves. We are going to call this Plan A. Your vision doesn’t have to be astronomical, in coaching we help people to set attainable goals. However, I would suggest choosing whatever sets your heart on fire!
The Training Ground
I have discovered that there are plenty of hurting people that want what you have. You don’t go through hell to come out stupid, especially when insight and knowledge are spiritual gifts on your life. I will explore spiritual gifts more later with my readers. A good way to look at this Plan A, I would say, is training. Let’s call Plan A “The Training Ground.” Here is where we learn ‘who is who in the zoo’, we learn of our capabilities, strengths and weaknesses, we also learn how to set boundaries, what they are, how to use them efficiently and when to apply them. The training ground is your preparation. You have the dream. You have the vision. You have encountered the opposition, come against and identified your enemies, recognised those that are for you and against you, those that support you and those that do not, those that reject you and those that would attempt to destroy, oppress, stifle and delay in whatever way they can. It’s not all bad. The training ground is also where you find your supporters, experience your breakthroughs, discover your values, your friends, your needs and build up your skillset to carry out your vision. The training ground is a time of recognition and confirmation of direction.
What I want to add here, and this is really important. If plan A doesn’t go according to plan, which it rarely ever does, just know that it is not failure. Plan A is not doomed or destroyed, it was your training ground. You may have organised a plan B as your dreams didn’t work out the way that you thought they would and that’s ok. Finish what you started but here is a thought; plan B can very well turn into Plan A. How may you ask? Well, if plan A didn’t work, the opposition too great, rejection or whatever the reason, it is still plan A, you just need a different vestibule or container in which to carry out your vision. I’ve heard it said, ‘rejection is protection,’ and ‘rejection is direction.’ In essence, plan B is just another way that you can carry out your vision. Whether that be a different community, a different business, a different opportunity, a different building, a different environment, but still the same dream, the same plan, the same vision. Dream again.
Your Environment
The environment in which you carry out your vision is important too. Do you have all of the elements required to effectively nurture and protect what you are giving birth to after you experience all of the growth and development and before the labor pain begins. In the learning and development stage you would have discovered your core values, what they mean and why as you navigate your hurts and disappointments and apply them to your life. I say hurts and disappointment because most people learn from their own mistakes, not other people’s mistakes and disappointment is the one word that encapsulates the wholehearted brokenness of when plan A doesn’t work out. Other people’s mistakes cause anger and resentment. When we focus on our mistakes we learn and grow. The right environment includes the right people, (although not everyone will be for you) the right place, the people that believe in your vision, your dream, the encouragers, the support, the qualified and the called, the right room to give birth in. The vestibule. The vessel to carry out your dream.
Let’s take a look at Plan B.
Plan B is what you go through when you see no other option, and you find what best suits you under the circumstances. yet you are not willing to give up. Plan A didn’t work, you were rejected, or pushed out, or what you thought was going to happen didn’t happen. You are determined to find a way and you opt for another avenue to make your dreams happen. The thing is; nothing ever goes according to plan. Because, well…life.
“I know Lord, that a person’s life is not his own. No one is able to plan his own course”. – Jeremiah 10.23
Plan B includes the transition. The separation. You are not lost. You are learning the way. This is where you acquire your skillset. Your development and emotional and spiritual maturity. You’ve experienced the confusion and disappointment of a lost soul because you put your heart and soul into Plan A. You dreamed so big you didn’t make room for the attack or opposition or what might try and take you out. You didn’t see the red flags! So here we are working on plan B. You have not failed. Others may have failed you, but your dream will be restored. Like an outdated room being refurbished to a more modern take to keep up with changes. This is where you are hungry for growth and learning, never really fulfilled as you are not yet walking in your purpose, but here’s the kicker; you will. You are ready now.
There are 5 different stages for your dream.
Stage one. Conception. This is where you have received the revelation, the healing, the idea, the epiphany, the calling, the longing, the believing, the faith, the seed.
Stage two. The planting. The seed has been planted. It is now germinating and needs to be watered and tenderly cared for and protected.
Stage three. Learning and Development. The discovery stage. This is where you will discover more about yourself (and others) than ever before. Your personal development. This is required to grow in order to hold, carry and facilitate with your dream.
Stage four. Labour. This always takes longer than anticipated and hurts more than we realise. Don’t grow weary and don’t give up. You won’t be able to. You will recognise periods of rest and then the labour pains begin again. Go for it. You begin to see the fruit of what have been working towards. The dream becomes clearer and the realisation that it is actually happening is nothing compared to when you get to hold your dream in your arms.
Stage five. Giving birth. You are holding your baby in your arms. Celebrate! You found your purpose because you didn’t give up and you begin to walk in alignment again. Your dream is happening. You have established who is who, who you are, what you value, what you need. You have articulated your skill set and now that you have the discipline required, the goals set, you are able to keep moving comfortably toward your bigger vision. You have defined and re-routed the direction of your life, fulfilling your purpose having found your way home.
The essence of this post is that sometimes plan A isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. If it doesn’t work out the way you desired it to work out, keep going, continue healing, choose a different vessel to carry your dream, forgive, let go. Hold your dream close. Life is a journey of ups and downs and roads that weren’t for us and roads that are for us as well as roads of discovery and adventure, each road is essential to go down in order to get us to our destination and become who we are created to be. You will get back on track and your dreams will surely come to pass.
Plan B is still plan A but a better version.