Hello Readers,
Today I am sharing with you the second part of my yesterday’s article. Hope you will enjoy it…
Then one day I met Carlota, my peer coach. Strong minded, passionate and extremely inspiring Spanish lawyer. In our 3rd session, her ears filled up with my “Plan the Plan approach”, she simply asked what would be the outcome if I would a little bit let go and swim with the flow.
She added gently “I am not asking you to drop a project or anything but just to try to take another road while walking back home and see how it feels- but careful – don’t plan it just use spontaneity, let me know the feeling next session”.
She also added – “Have faith in people’s capabilities. Think about; your left hand is weak because it relies on the right hand to write. Let others grow. Not only they will appreciate your trust and confidence but this will also alleviate the weight, which you carry on your shoulders”.
Based on Carlota’s suggestion, not only I applied the “crossroad” exercise right away, I started to let some space to calculated risks as well.
![Improvisation]()
Gradually, I would wake up with the sunshine instead of moonlight with a sense of calm and quietness.
My relationships have also been improving with my circle of family, friends and colleagues. They were appreciative of the fact that I was more available, more sharing and easier going. They felt more trusted and valued.
Colonel Robert Green Ingersoll (1833 – 1899), a Civil war veteran, American political leader, and orator during the golden age of freethought said “Civilizations has gotten further from the so called natural man, who uses all his faculties: perception, invention, improvisation”
Think about all the areas in your life when you have been caught unprepared yet improvised and got a greater outcome. It is because you did not only count on your plan but on all your senses.
You have seized the moment and forced your senses to take a snap decision.
And it definitely boosted your self-confidence leaving you with this “ I can do attitude” – the comfort zone of “feeling secure”.
Planning, prioritizing are two important skills to achieve personal and shared objectives, however they should be peppered and salted with two other important ingredients, which are improvisation and flexibility.
Only then the soup will taste its best.
Self Reflection Questions- Planning vs. Improvising
- I would check only once my calendar instead of usual five times to make sure that I am not forgetting any appointments.
- I would wait until the beginning of the week before calling my clients instead of my early practice of minimum ten days window.
- Returning home, would take alternative paths instead of the usual short cut opening myself to new discoveries.
- I would accept last minute lunch breaks with friends and colleagues even if it meant rescheduling the rest of my day.
Gradually, I would wake up with the sunshine instead of moonlight with a sense of calm and quietness.
My relationships have also been improving with my circle of family, friends and colleagues. They were appreciative of the fact that I was more available, more sharing and easier going. They felt more trusted and valued.
Colonel Robert Green Ingersoll (1833 – 1899), a Civil war veteran, American political leader, and orator during the golden age of freethought said “Civilizations has gotten further from the so called natural man, who uses all his faculties: perception, invention, improvisation”
Think about all the areas in your life when you have been caught unprepared yet improvised and got a greater outcome. It is because you did not only count on your plan but on all your senses.
You have seized the moment and forced your senses to take a snap decision.
And it definitely boosted your self-confidence leaving you with this “ I can do attitude” – the comfort zone of “feeling secure”.
Planning, prioritizing are two important skills to achieve personal and shared objectives, however they should be peppered and salted with two other important ingredients, which are improvisation and flexibility.
Only then the soup will taste its best.
Self Reflection Questions- Planning vs. Improvising
- Remember a time that you planned ahead and nothing had worked according to your plan?
- Which skills have you put in place to make the plan work?
- What did you learn from this experience?
Written by Adile Cretallaz
