When Plans Change

By Dan Nielsen

May 16, 2019


In case you haven’t noticed, life doesn’t always go according to plan. Even the most carefully planned strategies and very best intentions get derailed by the unexpected and the unavoidable.

It’s not just the big things, like career paths and families, that don’t always turn out the way we’d envisioned; we frequently get derailed in life’s small moments as well. Your meticulously scheduled day might get ruined by a flat tire on the way to work, your important meeting may be interrupted by an urgent phone call from your daughter’s school, and your dinner plans might get cancelled because of bad weather.

Life throws a lot at us, and it’s easy to get discouraged or frustrated when things don’t turn out quite like we’d hoped. But as John Wooden once said,

“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.”

Sudden schedule changes or different career paths may not appear ideal at first, but if we determine to make the best of our circumstances, no matter how far the circumstances strayed from our original vision, things really will turn out okay. And as Abraham Lincoln once said,

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”

With the right attitude and outlook on life, you can find and recognize the positive in every situation and appreciate the blessings along with the troubles.

When plans change, “make the best of the way things turn out,” and “rejoice because thorn bushes have roses” – I guarantee you’ll lead a much happier and more fulfilling life if you do, and that’s true success!

About the author

Dan Nielsen is the author of the books Be An Inspirational Leader: Engage, Inspire, Empower, and Presidential Leadership: Learning from United States Presidential Libraries & Museums. He regularly writes and speaks on leadership excellence and achieving greater success, and is available to deliver keynotes, lead workshops, or facilitate discussions for your group. LEARN MORE

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