Plan or Perish?

Plans are nothing; planning is everything.

-Dwight D. Eisenhower

So my parents bought me this book for Christmas about the life and wisdom of Solomon. You know, Solomon: the biblical king who pretty much knew all and owned all. I started reading this book Sunday night with one eye closed because, to be honest, it looked a little gimmicky. Imagine my surprise yesterday when I caught myself reading - with both eyes - and wishing I had a highlighter.

The premise of this book is simple: without a vision, we're doomed. Read: no plan, no life. Drawing on the wisdom of Proverbs 29:18, which reads: Without a vision, the people perish, the author explains that people who are most successful in life are those who have and implement a plan.

It's really got me thinking. It has me thinking that maybe I need a plan. A vision. And that's a big mind-set shift for me. For so long, I've sneered at plans and planning... I mean, at one time I had a great plan for my life. A great one. I had a good career going. I interviewed presidents and had my picture in TIME magazine. I had a future, I thought. (Read about it here.) But one day, things went awry. Really, really awry. So I drifted. I bought a house, got married, then got unmarried and returned home. Again, plans had gone bust. I adopted the "let go and let God" attitude, and have laughed at the idea of plans since then.

But perhaps I've looked at it all wrong. After all, it's one thing to have a plan, and it's another thing entirely to do a little planning.


Huh. It seemed fortuitous, then, that my garden planning stuff would arrive in the mail this afternoon. I have plans to build a potting shed - almost identical to the one above (isn't it FABULOUS?!) and grow herbs and flowers. (A marathon gardening day is already planned for March 2 with one super-handy, garden guy.) As I piled up my seed packets, I realized: whether it's for my business, my life, my spaghetti dinner, or my little garden: maybe planning is key. Without a vision, the people perish.

It applies to us all... as people groups and as pretty people. I guess we need plans. We need to do a little planning. Without it, drifting and depression and ultimately despair will hunt us down and whack us in the head. (Or heart.) We might as well perish. Yep, maybe I'm a recent convert. Maybe. Maybe plans and planning is where it is.

So I thought I'd pretend I'm sold on the idea and do a little planning this evening. You know, during Gilmore Girls commercial breaks. It appears I have a lot to plan: my hair style, my pantry storage issue, my summer, and... oh... my life. Shouldn't take that long. [wink]

What about you guys? Are you planners?