A colleague shared an interesting thought with me today.  It was the title of an on-line article he had recently seen  “Unplanned but not unprepared.”

On first blush it sounds like an oxymoron.  Planning is about preparation, so typically, if you don’t plan then by definition you are also unprepared.

This thought intrigued me and some investigation was warranted.  The title refers to a short story about someones career.  In that context it makes a lot of sense.

Simply put, the object of the story did not plan her career but was ready to embrace the opportunity as it unfolded.  In a word, it was serendipitous ( I stole the word from the story).

Embrace the opportunity

Personally I have great faith in the power of planning.  Planning lays the groundwork for success and without it the outcomes might be positive, might be negative but simply are not highly predictable.

However, even if not planned, embracing opportunity, that is taking a chance while  relying  on hard work (not luck), can be a very fullfilling approach.

This is not to say planning and fore thought should be cast aside, rather, that opportunity should not be ignored just because it was unexpected.

Reacting in the Moment

The unexpected throws me off.  I like to be ready, to be prepared.  This of course requires planning.  Surprisingly though some of the best events in my life just happened.  I embraced them and all turned out well.

So really, like all things there is a balance including times when things are not planned but you act prepared and take advantage.  Be ready, you never know.