Plan and Prepare
In any area of life, moving, changing jobs or careers, marriage, or pursuing goals and dreams, planning and preparing are part of the path forward. Two of my favorite quotes about planning and preparing are: ‘If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.’ (Ben Franklin) Along with ‘If given six hours to chop down a tree, I would spend the first four hours sharpening my axe.’ (Abe Lincoln) Both of these quotes have significant insight and worth. Both involve the idea of thinking and planning ahead for intentional, future action.
Learning to plan and prepare is essential to growth and progress in any area of life. As Ben Franklin basically said, if you do not plan (ahead) then you are pretty much counting on not having eventual success. Without prior planning, you will perform poorly. There is an art and necessary skill to looking ahead and putting together a plan to move forward. Without planning or preparing your approach, your actions will be sporadic, chaotic, spontaneous, and may actually harm your progress moving forward.
Looking ahead, planning, analyzing, and preparing to make moves or pursue greater things, taking the time to put a plan together will be of great benefit. No plan is perfect. But having a plan is something that will help you to stay focused and take specific actions. Learning to plan and prepare will save you time, energy, and will prevent you from making costly mistakes. Learning to plan and prepare ahead of time is an indication of maturity and wisdom.
On the flip side, failure to plan and prepare is a sign of immaturity and a lack of wisdom. Failing to plan and prepare will cause you to be more reckless, waste your time, your energy, and your effort. Someone who plans efficiently wastes little and gains much. Someone who does not plan, wastes much. Conversely, the one who plans is vastly more efficient in their actions, while the one who fails to plan is not efficient and will struggle in what they do or how they go about it.
The bible says it like this in Luke 14:28: ‘But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?’ It would be extremely foolish and counterproductive to make decisions without planning ahead and analyzing the entire process and desired outcome. Planning and preparing to take action shows wisdom and maturity, and ensures a better outcome. Failure to plan reveals reckless choices and immaturity, resulting in uncertainty and frustration.