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Never Have a Plan "B" - EVER!

Guest post by: Vincent Alston

Article Overview: Don’t ever let anyone, including yourself; talk you into having a Plan “B”. Now, I’m sure, if you’re a dreamer like many of us all, you’ve, no doubt, been lectured, ad nauseam, as to the sensibility, even necessity of the “backup” plan. And, quite honestly, it seems pretty logical and reasonable – but is it?

Never Have a Plan "B" - EVER!

Don’t ever let anyone, including yourself; talk you into having a Plan “B”.

Okay, I can see the flickering light of torches through my window. The mobs, en masse, shotguns and lynch rope in hand, ready to exact justice on my blasphemous soul.

But whoa, just hold on a minute!

I am not suggesting that one does not employ different strategies to reach one’s goal. After all, no general enters war without a comprehensive game plan. If your desire is to become and actor you may have to “wait” on a few tables before you see your destiny realized. But this is very different than planning to become a “waiter” if the acting thing doesn’t work out.

Now, I’m sure, if you’re a dreamer like many of us all, you’ve, no doubt, been lectured, ad nauseam, as to the sensibility, even necessity of the “backup” plan.

And, quite honestly, it seems pretty logical and reasonable – but is it? First off, if we are going to have a discussion about it, we’d ought to, at least, agree on what we mean by a Plan “B”. I think most of us would say it’s that thing you go to if Plan “A” doesn’t work. Agreed? Okay. Fine.

So how could this possibly be a bad thing? Well that all depends on what’s at stake. And if you believe in destiny, then that’s everything!

The Montgomery Bus Boycott, officially, started on December 1, 1955. Led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., blacks refused to ride the bus for 381 days. Their goal or plan “A” was full desegregation. They succeeded. This is pretty well known. What is not so well known is that there were other bus boycotts as well - Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for example in 1953 – which resulted in “partial” desegregation.

That said, four days after the Montgomery boycott began, Dr. King, along with others, met with the “powers that be” to discuss a moderate plan similar to the one in Louisiana. But the bus companies refused. Imagine what life today might look like if that compromise, i.e. Plan “B”, had been accepted? Might not the Civil Rights Movement happened at all?

From 1861-1865, Civil War raged in America. What were the stakes? The cohesiveness of the union and freedom for millions of Blacks. Plan “B”? Unimaginable.

On, December 8th, 1941 the U.S. officially entered World War II – the goal? Win. The stakes… freedom as we know it. Plan “B”? Unfathomable.

These, historical example seem to illustrate that true destiny is too important - too crucial - too big to have a stand-in.

Let me ask you a question. If Plan “B’” is the thing you go to if plan “A” doesn’t work out - the question then becomes; how and when do you decide if plan “A” is working?

When it gets too hard? When it takes too long? When it costs us more than we imagined it would? Well let me save you some time. In all probability, all those things will happen and if you have a Plan “B”, guess what you’re going to do?

Destiny is supposed to be hard. It’s supposed to be difficult. The stakes should be sky high and anything less than reaching the summit should be unacceptable.

So, if you find that the thought of Plan “B” is becoming more and more acceptable – maybe it’s time to get a bigger Plan “A”.

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Article Tags: empowerment, self improvement, spiritual growth



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