On Sticking To Your Plan

My soul is impatient with itself, as with a bothersome child; its restlessness keeps growing and is forever the same. Everything interests me, but nothing holds me. I attend to everything, dreaming all the while ~ Fernando Pessoa

So your plan isn’t gaining any traction.

Maybe there’s some large goal you want to accomplish, like – becoming physically fit, or advancing your career, or adjusting your lifestyle so you can spend more time with the family.

You may have goals of a more spiritual nature too, like – becoming more patient, or learning to forgive and let go, or making time for prayer and meditation.

If you’re anything like me, you’re probably overwhelmed by the countless approaches you can take to achieve your goals. You’ve done research online, read books, and taken courses. Maybe you’ve become confused and discouraged because you keep switching from plan to plan.

I’m guessing right now you’re on the verge of bailing on your current plan for yet another.

Before you do, ask yourself – Have I truly given this plan my all?

The Culture of Restlessness

The truth is that we’re restless.

We’re always on edge, constantly waiting for the next best thing to come around the corner and save us from our despair.

Nowhere is this more evident in our culture than in the world of technology, where your latest device becomes obsolete in a matter of months. Before we have a chance to fully enjoy our technology, something else comes out that is faster, cheaper, thinner, lighter, and has cooler features.

All of a sudden, we’re not so happy with the technology that we have. So we ditch perfectly good (even great) devices for the latest must have.

And the cycle begins all over again.

Where does this culture of restlessness come from? It comes from deep within each of us. Fr. Ronald Rolheiser, in is book Forgotten Among The Lillies, describes our restlessness this way:

There is in all of us, at the very center of our lives, a tension, an aching, a burning in the heart that is insatiable, non-quietable and very deep.

This restlessness is manifested, not only in our insatiable appetite for new technology, but in all areas of our lives. It’s the source of our boredom, our lack of contentment, our lack of patience, and our aversion to long-term commitment.

So what does any of this have to do with sticking to plans?

Is your restless anticipation of the next best thing keeping you from following through with your plan? Is the lure of bigger-and-better-results-with-less-effort distracting you away from tried and true basic principles?

This is why you’re gaining little traction.

Go back and examine your old plan. It’s likely a rock solid plan that only needs the commitment of follow-through for breakthrough.

You don’t need a new exercise plan, or a new diet plan, or a new book to read, or a new course to take. Instead, go back and re-read the book, retake the course, study the exercise plan. Go back to basics to find out what you truly need to accomplish your goals.

Also, understand that neither the chasing of a perfect solution nor the accomplishment of goals will remove or resolve the tension Rolheiser describes. The root of our searching goes much deeper. You may not be able to stop the restlessness, but you can direct the energy in ways that are constructive rather than destructive.

This can only happen when we become aware of the underlying restlessness that permeates our lives – and when we learn to live in the tension rather than devouring all that life has to offer to satisfy our hungers.