It is said that the problem with not planning is failure comes as a total surprise.
Surprise comes from the unexpected and if you're really not planning, then there's little to no expectations.
Of course and arguably, it's easier to plan, strategize and execute when it comes to aiming for any form of success.
Those who've achieved "success" without really planning are far and in between.
Probably also, it could come as a byproduct of relentlessly going after something meaningful, which in itself is a form of unconscious planning.
I think the world is set up in a way that you have to plan in order for anything worthwhile to materialize.
In many ways, the world rewards intentionality.
The perceived simple act of building wealth, such as employing compound interest, doesn't care about your good intentions, only your consistent contributions.
Relationships don't flourish on spontaneous gestures alone.
Even creativity, often romanticized as pure inspiration, demands the discipline of showing up daily to practice your craft.
It's utterly true that the universe can be chaotic, but the systems we've built to navigate it—markets, institutions, social structures—all favor those who think ahead.
And usually punish the unprepared not out of malice, but because preparation creates reliability, and reliability creates value.
If I'm not planning, what am I doing, really?
The Wind, The Leaf And The Map
The mental image that comes to mind is a leaf caught in a windstorm.
The windstorm is the relentless force of circumstance, other people's plans, and random events and obviously the leaf represents us when we abdicate our agency.
Now, here's the thing about being a leaf, you easily mistake motion for progress.
You're busy, certainly. Things are happening to you. You're spinning, tumbling, carried along by forces much larger than yourself. Maybe feels dramatic, even important from your pov.
But at the end of the storm, you've simply landed wherever the wind decided to drop you.
As much as failure is a stepping stone, you really can't keep stepping on the same stone without eventually sinking into the river.
The cruel irony is that without planning, failure doesn't even teach you anything valuable.
Random failure is just noise.
It's only when failure crashes against the rocks of your expectations that it reveals something useful.
Wrong assumptions, preparation was lacking, unclear vision, etc..
Back to the drawing board to fix those and try again, better.
I think the real problem isn't that failure surprises us when we don't plan.
The real problem is that without planning, we never learn to expect anything at all.
Obviously, the wind has its own wisdom. Most of the time, we're exactly where we are supposed to be.
But this wisdom in no way trumps your own agency.
Problems are just opportunities wearing work clothes.
Planning isn't about controlling outcomes. More so about choosing your responses.
Failure does teach, but only when you're paying attention.
Surprises, well, they're just reminders that you stopped expecting anything from yourself, in this context.
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