Sometimes the Best Plan to Have Is No Plan at All

Every week, it seems like there is a new development in my post-grad plans. In February, I had a spot secured in a house in my college town and was set on staying in the area; then, a pro and con list I made at 3 o'clock in the morning led to me bailing out of the space. A few weeks later, I decided to just go home and figure things out from there, but after a visit back for Spring Break, I realized the FOMO was stronger than ever when I knew my family was just downstairs. I quickly learned that I would not be able to focus if I went back home, so I was back to figuring out what to do.

Every week since the beginning of senior year, I have had a new idea and a new plan that doesn’t seem to survive longer than a week or two. Whether it is a new realization, fear, or that life is changing so fast, I never seem to have things figured out. While it is really easy to fall into a state of panic at the reality of the situation when I have no job lined up, no place to live, and no idea what I want to do with my life, I feel oddly content. 

It is so unlike me to be content with no plan, which is why I am pretty certain it’s the peace of God that is getting me through. So, instead of trying to stir up chaos with “what ifs” and doubts, I am doing my best to remind myself that God’s got me. On top of that, I am so incredibly blessed to have a family that would be willing to welcome me back home at a moment's notice so I will never really be stranded with nowhere to go. I have decided to look at the situation I am in with the support that I have to see this time of life as an opportunity to explore, figure things out, and fail a few times. 

As much as I am a planner, I am also a big dreamer, thanks to my dad, and after a phone call with him about another new development in my post-grad adventure, I am beginning the journey of exploration. Whenever I have a new idea, whether it is a new plan, a business I want to start, a hobby I randomly decided I should take up, or a new passion I am determined to pursue, my dad is the first one I call. Without fail, he fuels the fire of my dreams, giving me the confidence to take the next step.

Yesterday, I got off the phone with him with pages of chicken scratch notes of a new business idea and a plan to achieve it. We spent hours dreaming up possible names, making lists of people to start talking to and creating an action plan to make the dream a reality. Sure, there have been more times than I can count that we have talked about a dream, got distracted by life, and never picked it up again, but this time felt different.

With no real plan for what I will do in the next few weeks, I have the freedom to do whatever I want. Soon, the organized structure of college life will be far from me, and I will no longer have a set plan with a consistent schedule of places to be and things to do. Instead, I get to structure my life however I want, which is exciting and intimidating. This dream I created with my dad feels like something I can start working toward as long as I continue to remind myself that I have the freedom, faith, and support system to dream big dreams and chase after them. 

So, while many of my blogs have been about anxieties and fears about the future and my lack of planning, I believe there is always the opportunity to see the unknown as an opportunity for an amazing adventure. Yes, it is easier said than done, but it is a choice we have the ability to make each day. With another season that has come and gone, I am excited to make the choice to dream. 

My hope and prayer for anyone reading this is that you are able to see the unknown future as the open door to pursuing a new dream. Ask God to come alongside you and bring peace that surpasses all understanding and the confidence to step into a new adventure with no plan. God’s got you and you’ve got this…