You’ve heard of Plan B, but what happens when plans fall apart so much that you feel like you’ve got to go onto Plan E? That’s the position I found myself in a few weekends ago, after a long planned fishing trip fell through just minutes before we were scheduled to leave. See how I rallied, (even after the backup to the backup plan fell through), leading to an incredible sailing adventure with friends on Lake Michigan. Plus, hear what I learned and how I’m applying this to my live on the weekend challenge.
As you can see from the video, we ended up having an amazing adventure. And while it’s not always easy to know how to rally when plans fall apart, I’ve outlined a few key takeaway to help you through moments like this!
1. Take a breath. It’s easy in this moment to think the day is ruined. Your mind will probably focus on the negative. Challenge yourself to stop and take a mindful breath. This will stop racing thoughts, helping you ground in the moment and start figuring out how to rally.
2. Find a regroup activity. When we got the phone call about the cancelled trip, we were tempted to just head back to bed. It was too early to do much of anything. But I knew if we did that, the day would be a waste. So we headed to the beach to watch the sun rise, which gave us an opportunity to regroup and plan. You might grab coffee, lunch, or head out for walk, but try not to sit at home and stew.
3. Identify what it was that you were really looking forward to. What was it about your original plans that you were most excited about? For me, it was being out on the water. Yes, there were other things that we were looking forward to, but that was the main one. Identifying that helped us focus our efforts in looking for a back up plan.
4. Find a way to get some small thread of your answer to #3. This experience highlighted the balance between staying committed and being spontaneous. You may not be able to get all of what you wanted in your original plan, but think about how you can get a piece of that. We were committed to going out on the water, but we had to be flexible and spontaneous with the rest.
5. Practice gratitude. Instead of focusing on what didn’t happen or what didn’t work out, direct your attention to what did work and what good stuff the back up plan entailed. It may not have been option A, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t lots of goodness involved. Look for that.
It’s disappointing when things don’t work out as you hoped, so knowing how to rally when plans fall apart is important. It’s easy to give up or say forget it, but think of the adventure you’re missing if you do this! Without our rally, I would have missed one of my favorite Chicago experiences yet!
Do you have a hard time rallying after plans fall apart? What do you want to take away from this post?
PS: Want another tip for making the most of your weekend? Check out this post!
