I don’t know about you, but I’m a big planner. Planning is good. Without it we might not move forward or pay our bills or cook dinner or accomplish what we need to at work or in life. I must have a little bit of drifter in me too, however, because this is not the article I sat down to write this week. I had another one all planned out with notes and everything, but I let myself drift in another direction.
An article I’d tucked away for future inspiration caught my eye. The article was by life coach Laurie Gerber and asked readers to think about all the times in their life when events happened in an unexpected way producing unimagined results that were exactly what they needed at exactly the right time. She called these unplanned, unexpected occurrences “nonlinear events.”
Intrigued by this notion, I let my mind drift to all the wonderful things that have come into my life unexpectedly, meeting my husband, for example. He was not what I was looking for, or so I thought, and the feeling was mutual, but not for long. We each had to give up our planned ideals of what a life partner should be in order to embrace the gift before us…each other. We had to allow ourselves to drift off course and try something unplanned.
Now as I said before, I’m a big planner. I believe in planning. It makes me feel safer (which I know is just an illusion.) Drifting through life was just against my nature, but as I grow older and wiser, I’m learning that a certain amount of drift is necessary and beneficial. It can enrich our lives tremendously. Drifting allows you to be drawn into the moment. It allows you time to daydream and imagine. It allows you time to notice the unexpected wonders that surround us each and every day.
I concluded that there must be some middle ground here. The term channeling came to mind, a place between over-planning and over-drifting. When water flows through a channel, it’s directed, yet free to move within the parameters or barriers given. We can channel our lives. The boundaries we create would be based upon our core values and general goals, but within these parameters there would be flexibility giving us the freedom to drift and explore along the way.
This exploration is especially important when our life is in a state of flux, when our next step isn’t completely clear. During one of these times in my life, I was attempting to make a vision board, hoping that this might clarify my next steps. Vision boards had always been problematic for me, however, because I couldn’t seem to do what others had done. Others’ boards seemed to be filled with very specific things that they wanted. When my life is in upheaval, however, I don’t know what I want. In addition, I worry that what I think I want isn’t really going to give me what I need or expect.
That’s why I decided to begin my vision board by cutting out pictures and images that I was drawn to, ones that made me feel good. I then identified the words behind these images. My vision board became a gathering of core desires: joy, purpose, security, time, health, connections. Consciously and unconsciously, these are the core ideals through which my life is channeled. They are specific, yet broad enough to allow me to be open to the opportunities that the universe may lay before me.
I’m still a practical planner at heart, but I don’t chart my life so tightly that I miss out on the amazing, unplanned opportunities that come into my path. I’m always open to a little bit of drift into adventure and wonder. How about you?