The plan will go sideways.

You will be called to an impromptu meeting.

The priorities will change

You will need to redo it.

The computer will crash.

You won’t have it backed up.

You will turn up when you didn’t need to.

The room wasn’t ready.

You have run out of it.

The person you are meeting didn’t show.

You ordered way too much.

The technology won’t work.

So, it happened.

There is nothing you can do.

Now how are you going to get back on track?

You have been putting yourself out there.

You have been consistent.

You have been doing good work.

Then something positive comes your way.

Something unexpected and exciting.

Simply out of the blue.

Or was it?

After all, you’ve been putting yourself out there and consistently doing good work.

“The unexpected and the incredible belong in this world. Only then is life whole.” – Carl Jung

You suspected.

The suspicion was incorrect.

You used some intuition

Your intuition was off.

You went with the information at hand.

The information was incomplete.

You had a guess.

The guess was wrong.

You assumed, A plus B equals C (A + B = C).

When in reality, A plus B was equal to Z (A + B = Z).

You formed an opinion.

The opinion was untrue.

Jumping to a conclusion is often quicker and easier.

Until it’s not.

Then it’s harder to get back on track.

Jump the jumping to conclusions.

“Mind is a machine for jumping to conclusions.”

– Daniel Kahnerman, author of “Thinking, Fast and Slow”

Big is daunting.

Yes, we can think big.

Have big aspirations.

See the big picture.

Make big deals.

Do big business.

But before anything was big, it was first small.

There was a small beginning.

A small step.

Some small act.

Small is possible.

Small is do-able.

Start small.

It’s easier.

“Think Big. Start small.” – Seth Godin

You will be unsure.

You may have uncertainty.

You will find it vague.

You might have to work through ambiguity.

You may have some unknowns.

The situation might be unfamiliar.

The plan will be thrown out.

The outline is hazy.

The lines are blurred.

The direction may be clear but the how, is less so.

Things are not always black or white.

It may require you being comfortable with grey.

(Yes … even the spelling of grey is gray, depending on where you’re from.)

They will be sceptical.

They won’t like it.

They will reserve judgement.

They won’t believe you.

They will be dismissive.

They won’t take to it.

They will not commit.

They won’t offer encouragement.

Then you do it.

Then you show them how.

Then they understand.

Then you have the supporters …

… and you get to do it all again.

It follows you.

It precedes you.

It is how you show up.

It is what you do.

It is how you interact.

It is built.

It is yours, but is defined by others.

If you like the one you have … look after it.

Everything has a beginning.

You have to start somewhere.

You will be a novice.

You will be unsure.

You will flounder

You will learn.

You will be competent.

You will understand.

You will develop skills.

You will be proficient.

You will build knowledge.

You will develop expertise.

Then looking back …

… the beginning has been left far behind.

Acknowledgement must go to the Dreyfus Model.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” – Lao Tzu

You can play it safe.

Stay within yourself.

Stick with the status quo.

Do nothing different.

Don’t attempt anything new.

You’ll be safe and also limiting yourself.

Limiting what you can do.

Limiting your growth.

Sure, you might fail as you step away from safe.

You might get rejected.

Be uncomfortable and uncertain.

You might also learn.

Conquer challenges.

Adapt to changes.

Seize opportunities.

Do things you really want to do.

Are you playing it safe?

What would you do if you didn’t?

“If you don’t fail now and again, it’s a sign you’re playing it safe.” – Woody Allen

You are not the same person you were five years ago.

You’ve had experiences.

Some good, some bad.

Some experiences you have chosen.

Some have been forced upon you.

All have contributed to your growth.

You are not the same person you were a year ago.

You’ve learnt some things along the way.

Taken a course.

Read some books.

Watched something useful on the web.

You’ve added to your repertoire.

These have helped you to grow.

You will not be the same person one year from now.

Or five years from now.

So be intentional in the direction you want to go.

Where do you want to grow from here?

“I can’t go back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.” – Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland