Plan B

Most of my life has been composed of Plan B. Most of the rest has been composed of Plans C though Z.

What is the more powerful strategy in life: perseverance or flexibility? I vote with both hands for flexibility, based in a strong sense of self-awareness, awareness of the environment and personal values. The pitfall of perseverance is stubbornness. The pitfall of flexibility is indecision. Stubbornness is more hazardous than indecision in the big picture, as I see it. Stubbornness may yield immediate gains, but lose long term gain. Indecision may lose an immediate gain, but yield a long term gain.

Plan A is always a good place to start. It usually represents the ideal, the perfect path to a goal. Plan B, however, has the added value of using or developing skills to adapt to reality. Striving for Plan A with inflexibility seldom achieves the ideal upon which it is based. The driven do-gooder who has an ideal vision of how to go about achieving an ideal good often becomes a puffy ideologue with no substance. The flexible do-gooder can adapt his ideal path to doing good by listening to those in need and inviting others into his/her activities.

So here's a cheer for the underestimated Plans B through Z. In science, they are often the paths to great breakthroughs. In engineering, the paths to great inventions. In personal development, the paths to humanism and progressive thought.