Road Blocks

Most of you have probably heard the motivational mantra "Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance".  I am a firm believer in that plan.  Anytime in my life that I have faced huge road blocks it has almost always been associated with my failure to prepare.  I have learned  (and I often share this with younger people so they might not have to learn through their own ineptness) that it is absolutely a necessity to prepare for every single task PRIOR to the undertaking .

Doesn't matter if it's cooking, requiring you to check your cabinets for ingredients BEFORE you are half way through making the dish. Painting a room, removing as much as possible from the room and prepping the walls, or doing your laundry, sorting and making sure you have detergent.  It doesn't matter what the task is, it always goes better if you prepare.

Big jobs like buying a new car can be done with no preparation at all.  You can certainly go to the car dealer and look at cars and sign your name or write your check and drive a new car home. No preparation.  If you take the time to properly prepare by researching the available models and checking prices and availability in your area, you will no doubt have a less stressful and better experience.  You may even leave with the right car at the right price.

I also find that my days go so much smoother if I just take a few minutes each morning and plan my day.  I need to accomplish certain things almost every day, so I PLAN them out.  I don't have to adhere to that plan exactly, but I find that I usually do it because I get more done by doing so.  I like being organized. I like running errands in a sensible way.  Farthest errand first and stopping on my way back home to do others.  It just makes sense to me.  Why spend half my time running circles when a few minutes of planning will create a day of accomplishments.

I try to foresee any possible road blocks when I make my plan.  Any plan.  I imagine what could go wrong and make a plan B.  Road blocks don't usually send me screaming, but if I think they might, I want another plan already in place,

All of this being said, I still run into unexpected and unforeseeable Road Blocks, as we all do.  Those I just have to deal with head on.  After analyzing what IS, I decide what I need to do.  Then do it.  If I can't do it myself, then I call someone who can.  If I can't do anything at all about the Road Block, then I accept that it exists and either scrap the project or find another way to git 'er done.

Road Blocks are just mental exercises for each of us to flex our brain, a muscle sometimes underused.

Success usually is a matter of working around, under or through life's ROAD BLOCKS.

Jo