Tear Up Your Plan B
Do you make sure that you have a Plan B when you have a big Plan A? Tear it up. You don’t need a Plan B. You don’t really even need a plan A to get started on a big dream goal. Just get started.
Plan B is just something to make us feel better when Plan A falls apart. It provides a kind of mental safety net. But, there isn’t any assurance that you are going to succeed. Sometimes, we find out half way through something that we really don’t want what we started out trying to accomplish.
Think about it. If Plan A doesn’t work out, at which point do you know it is going to fail? You probably don’t. Plan B is nothing more than a way to make us feel better about not succeeding. It is as if you are giving yourself permission to fail before you even start. Plan B is useless because the greater power will get us where we need to go, even if it isn’t where we think we want to go. Therefore, if you aren’t striving toward your goal, maybe you need to make a minor adjustment. Or, maybe something else will present itself.
My husband, Rich, started his thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail. A thru-hike usually takes about 6 months. It is 2,190 miles long and goes through 14 states. He had been preparing for months. Buying equipment, reading and researching. But he took action the whole time. Everything just fell into place. The timing was good. We could afford it, and he is in good health. His start date was April 3rd, 2017 from Springer Mountain, Georgia. That morning, we woke up to horrendous thunderstorms. My husband was still determined to go. We had a nice breakfast and started out to the park. On the way to Springer Mountain, a tree fell across the road one car away in front of us. We all got out and tried to figure out what to do. One truck got in front of us, pulled out a chainsaw and started cutting. They cut the tree little by little until we could all get around it.
Once we were back on the road we proceeded to the Amicalola Falls State Park so that he could register and get started. Once there, the guides and fellow hikers managed to talk him out of it. It was just too dangerous with the lightning and strong storms. Okay—so where was Plan B? We didn’t need one. We went sightseeing and he got on the trail the next morning.
As I was leaving, he told me he would call when he set up camp for the night. I didn’t hear from him for about 30 hours. I wasn’t sure what to do. Now, I thought for sure we needed a Plan B! I didn’t know what to do if he was hurt, or even worse attacked by a bear. He finally called, and he was fine-of course. He just didn’t have cell coverage until then, so he couldn’t call. Again, no Plan B needed—good thing because I probably would have pulled it out, and started doing whatever I was supposed to do incase of an emergency.
The next 12 days were interesting. I spoke to him periodically. He had to buy a new tent. Then, he had to get rid of some equipment and repack his backpack to make it lighter. Some of his pop-tarts exploded in his bag and some other issues along the way. I met him in Franklin, NC, where he could shower and wash his clothes.
After the 12th day, he called to tell me that while going down a 3,000-foot drop, he twisted his knee, hurt his back and foot. He was going to give it some time to see how he felt. Next, I got a call from Gatlinburg, and we needed to get him home.
So, Rich is back at home with us. I am so proud of him for what he accomplished—over 140 miles in 12 days. He went over Blood Mountain—the highest point on the trail. He saw some incredible sights, made some amazing friends, and had an unbelievable experience. He is so glad he did it. He has a sprained back and his foot is still not great, but he is happy.
At first, I was worried about him not putting any thought into a Plan B, but it was best that he hadn’t. His back should be healthy in about a month. He has started back in his business, and may try again next year. Even with the obstacles along the way, he never gave himself permission to have a Plan B. He may not be where he thought he would be right now, but he had an amazing experience, is safe, and knows he will hike more parts of it before fall.
