How did 2018 work out for you? Did everything go according to plan? If your answer is “Yes”, please share how you did it with the rest of us! If the answer is “Not Exactly”, well, join the rest of us.

Does this somewhat obvious reality mean we don’t need or shouldn’t bother with making plans? I don’t believe it does, because the value of “The Plan” lies in the process, not the outcome. Our wise friend, Benjamin Franklin, once said: “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

​When you’re in planning mode, the focus is on a variety of factors that can affect the outcome, things like:

When you think through these elements and consider exponential variations, awareness is heightened. That in itself improves ability to execute and adapt, as long as you realize what the plan is and what it is not: it IS a useful guide, but it IS NOT an absolute. Plans are hatched in the theoretical world and they get shaped by the real world. Sometimes you will exceed the plan and, unfortunately, sometimes the plan exceeds your ability to execute.

Plans come in all shapes and sizes: Strategic Plans, Tactical Plans, fearsome Budget Plans, Sales Plans, Incentive Plans, Emergency Plans, Investment Plans, Family Plans, Exercise Plans, Life Plans, etc.— even Plans for Plan-making! Without a plan and a direction (your Vision) to guide it, anything will do; odds are what is achieved will be less than stellar. With a plan and a destination in mind, however, your odds of achieving better results increase dramatically. Failure in one aspect, one year, or one initiative merely points out opportunities to consider those factors as you shape the successor plan.

Ultimately, life is what happens to you while you’re making plans. It makes sense to plan to make the most of it.

​Tempus Maximize!

Life is serious business. As far as we know, we only get one shot at it; the stakes are high. The process of navigating this uncertain journey allows us the choice to Maximize the Moment, or not. To take life too seriously, however, robs us of the uplifting moments that can make it funny business.

Finding humor in daily moments will lighten any load. The funniest things are rooted in simple and undeniable truths; I suspect that’s why the internet is so alive with memes of all sorts and people still enjoy comics. My favorites offer clever and humorous looks at real-life moments. It’s our human connection to the underlying truth of the message that makes it funny business.

In a business context, well-placed humor can ease tension and focus teamwork. Humor creates a pleasant pause in the unending flow of work to be accomplished and simply makes doing the work more fun. It’s a variation of what it means to “whistle while you work” because it introduces an element of joy to meetings and presentations.

It isn’t funny business, however, if the story or joke is in poor taste or offered up at the expense of another person. The fact that others may laugh doesn’t make hurting others funny business. Mean-spirited “jokes” do not qualify.

At the heart of funny business is not taking yourself too seriously. It’s tough to laugh with a furrowed brow! My wish for you is that each day brings a moment of lightness, which brightens the path ahead. If you’ve got some funny business to share, I’d love to hear from you.

Tempus Maximize!