Episode: 239

Episode Title: 3 Steps of Change: Plan

Without a plan, change will never happen. Here’s why planning is simpler than many people think—coming up next on The Perna Syndicate.

Ep 239 show:

Hello and welcome—you’re now in The Perna Syndicate! If you’ve read my book, you know the story of how I was climbing a tree one day as a kid and suddenly the branch underneath me started to creak. I knew it was about to break, sending me hurtling to the ground, and in that moment of terror I did three things. I focused, I planned, and I took action. Those three steps probably saved my life that day, and they’ve had tremendous value for me ever since. 

Yesterday I talked about focus and how the fear of loss can grab our undivided attention like nothing else. Today, let’s talk about the second step, and that’s to plan. You evaluate all your options and decide the best course of action that is most likely to produce the desired result.

Today, I think that many young people—and even those from older generations—may not know the value of planning. It doesn’t have to be complicated or hard. Planning is simply looking ahead, imagining various scenarios and solutions, and then picking the one that makes the most sense for your unique situation. 

Planning is active, not passive, and no one else can do it for you. It’s work, and that may be why so many people don’t do it. But it’s so crucial for a good outcome.

Your plan may have to change along the way, as things happen to alter the original situation. And that’s okay. The idea is not to stick with your initial plan and never change it, but to have a plan you can adapt as needed to overcome the obstacles.

As you think about your challenges, at home or at work, don’t just stay stuck on the creaking branch. Instead, you can focus, plan, and tomorrow on The Perna Syndicate, we’ll talk about the final step: taking action. See you then!