“… A.A. has done more for me than just stop me from drinking… It has taught me that success and failure are never final, and that neither count for very much in the final assessment of any man who has done his best.”
– Big Book, “The Career Officer”

Three others in our program, along with me, email our daily gratitude lists to each other. The other day, one of them wrote on their list that they were grateful for backup plans. Often times we just respond to each other with encouragement. Today I’d like to share my comment to his gratitude with you.

I’m a big believer in Plan B’s. I put 110% into my goals and stay optimistic while recognizing that I still may not get what I seek. But that’s good too because I believe that my HP has a better plan.

Having a Plan B is part of my preparation; actually, it’s part of my Plan A. Knowing I’m ok with Plan B if Plan A doesn’t happen gives me a sense of comfort, while still being hopeful that Plan A happen will happen. The achievement of plan A is generally conditional upon me working towards my goal, and it being God’s will (loving and in my best interest).

In the past, I constantly felt both hopeless and angry when I would try so very hard for something that did not materialize. Today I find lessons in all my efforts, regardless of the result. In this way I get to love my life no matter what happens!

One last thing. Expectations. Plans tend to be tied to hopes, and hopes are very close to expectations. Unmet expectations can lead to disappointment, resentment, self-pity and hopelessness.

Plan Bs help me dodge all those uncomfortable feelings when I don’t get the result I was shooting for, leaving the door open for gratitude to flow in. So when I plan something out I like to look at the possibility of my plan not materializing. I walk through those feelings in advance, make peace with the result I didn’t want, and still optimistically go after achieving my goal. This process has saved me from thousands of hours of needless suffering.

It is my hope that some small part of this story will enrich your life and help you avoid some of the struggling that often results when things don’t go the way we planned. ILML!

JamieQ