When Things Don’t Go According to Plan

“We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.”
~ Dolly Parton

Last Monday I was reading the weekly blog post from Lady Carnarvon (Countess Fiona), who lives at Highclere Castle with her husband George, the 8th Earl of Carnarvon. Downton Abbey lovers will recognize Highclere as the Yorkshire country estate of the Crawley family featured in the enormously popular British drama.

The countess was relating a story about an incident that occurred right at the start of a fancy dinner party at the castle, which she manages. Dressed in an elegant gown and heels, Fiona had just been handed a cocktail when she was approached by a staff member who told her that some sheep had gotten loose on the estate and were on the main drive. Assuming it was just a few inquisitive lambs, she was surprised to learn that it was actually hundreds of sheep! You can read the rest of the entertaining story here.

I often find the comments on the countess’s blog interesting, and one in particular intrigued me. It said, “Improvise, adapt, achieve the goal.” I found myself wondering if that was a known phrase, so I Googled it. The line is apparently a variation of “Improvise, Adapt, Overcome,” which is an unofficial slogan of the U.S. Marines, adopted from Clint Eastwood’s military film Heartbreak Ridge.

Most of us struggle when things don’t go according to plan. I’ve written before about the need to be flexible and adaptive when life throws us curveballs:

Days Like These

How to Cultivate More Optimism

How Managing Expectations Helps Prevent Disappointments

Bouncing Back After Disappointments

What struck me about the “Improvise, Adapt, Overcome” line is how succinctly it presents the ultimate solution for the times when obstacles appear in our path.

All we can do is create a solution on the fly, adjust to the new conditions, and resolve to succeed in dealing with the difficulty despite our frustration.

I love personal growth sayings that are both powerful and easy to remember!

In success literature we often read about the need to plan, organize, and then implement in order to achieve our goals. It makes perfect sense and is usually the most efficient way to begin a project. But we all know that “stuff happens.” No sooner do we get started than something unexpected gets in our way. (Can you imagine the surprise of the countess at the start of a lovely evening, just before twilight, when she heard the news about the sheep? If you check out her post you will see the visual proof that it was, indeed, hundreds, and that she did, indeed, manage them.)

Often the event that stops us in our tracks is something we could never have anticipated.

Once we take stock (no pun intended) of what has occurred, the best course of action is to pivot and revise our plan.

The quicker we are able to do this, the sooner we will be able to continue on our journey.

I located the information about the unofficial slogan in a blog post by Roger Crawford, Hall of Fame tennis player and motivational speaker. In his post, he expounds upon the concept of improvising, adapting, and overcoming. His inspiring story is one of resilience in the face of adversity, having been born with several disabilities. “When faced with challenging circumstances,” he advises, “resist discouragement, and regain your determination. As a result, your sense of purpose will become more powerful than your problems!”

That’s really the key, right? To be able to set aside our discouragement so we can think through our next course of action. In other words, to be able to get back up, shake it off, and keep moving forward.

Looks like we have our marching orders!

Affectionately,

Elaine