I Love It When A Plan Comes Together

How much control do we have in our lives? How do we make our big dreams happen? Isn't it the case that we can plan and achieve? Isn't it also the case that much of what happens in our lives is beyond our control? Stuck between these two realities, what are we supposed to do? In today's episode, I take inspiration from the path, short as it may be so far, of my daughter Geneva. I hope you find her story as inspiring as do the people who know her. Let's go!

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I Love It When A Plan Comes Together

I love it when a plan comes together. If you remember the 1980s TV show, the A-Team, you will also remember the iconic line team leader Hannibal Smith, played by George Peppard uttered amid celebratory cigar smoke in the satisfied glow of the successful mission at the end of each episode. Here's another quote from around the same period, "If you want to make God laugh, tell them your plans."

This is a comic retelling by Woody Allen of an old Yiddish proverb. It represents a rather more pessimistic view of the world based upon the fact that our perceptive powers are so meager that we have limited power to make things happen in this world, at least in the way we initially imagined. Maybe it reflects the long and tragic Jewish experience of oppression throughout written history.

They're two very different perspectives. Which one prevails? Since the show is about strengthening, expanding, and manifesting our personal power, it may not surprise you we prefer the leader of the A-Team to the cinematographer as potential role models in this respect, but Hannibal Smith's line was scripted for a TV show, pure fiction. Plans don't always come together in reality.

Nevertheless, to manifest our power, we must plan. When we plan, it's wise to recognize and account for Woody's observation too. Along our way, we're wise to expect things to be something other than what we previously thought they would be. This isn't a bad thing because as we go, we learn. We change. Our ignorance becomes incrementally less self-limiting. We have new facts. We also have a new perspective. Making plans, following them, and learning as we go has the added power of allowing us to see our initial assumptions and knowledge in a brand-new light. This process is necessary if we wish to build wisdom. The matter, timeline, and scope of our planning amplify or minimize these factors.

To manifest our power, we must plan.

For our purposes, let's keep the focus on the big things, plans that will require years. When we direct ourselves to the most important needs in our lives, what should we remember as we formulate our plans and set our expectations? I'm going to perhaps self-indulgently, as a proud father, use my daughter Geneva as an example. Her plan, since she was four years old, was to be a veterinarian, not just any vet but specifically an avian vet. Why would she choose and stay with such a specific goal? I have no idea.

My theory is that she wasn't allowed pets because of her mother's allergy to dander. A bird may have struck her as more of a possibility for her to have as a pet because they're small, could be kept in one room, and therefore, might slip past the barrier that would keep her pet-less, a fate she could not abide, I suppose, because of her innate love of animals. It indeed worked out that way.

When she was thirteen, she wore down parental defenses and was allowed to get a small bird. At first, it didn't work out so well. She got a blue parakeet from PetSmart and named him Zazu after the bird in The Lion King. In less than a week, we had to bring him back with a respiratory infection from which he did not recover. Devastated, she got a replacement and named this one Sonny. He lasted even less time.

On the third day, he had a seizure. Geneva tried to care for him and save him, but small birds are very delicate. Once they have an adverse health event, they often don't recover. She thought it was something she was doing wrong as it seemed unlikely that a similar thing would happen twice in a row. She discovered that the pets you find at chain stores come from large bird farms and are often quite unhealthy. These birds would have died no matter what.

Geneva was undaunted. The no-pet barrier had been broken, and she would have what she wanted. She researched. She determined she wanted a parrotlet, a small version of a parrot, and she would be selective about where she would get one. She saved her babysitting money and bought Sapphire from a breeder in Florida. Parrotlets live around twenty years. He's happily tweeting as I write this.

These experiences fueled Geneva's fire to become an avian vet. It's no easy task. She found out that vet school is harder to get into than medical school. It's simple math. There are fewer such schools, and of those, only a dozen or so have developed exotic animal programs under which birds fall. She applied to four of them. These schools in general receive as many as 3,000 applications each year. They have 100 to 150 available spots. Most set aside spots for students or residents of the states in which the schools are located. She was shooting for a very small target.

What can we take away from Geneva's story? First, when it comes to the bigger goals we have in life, there's an advantage in starting early. For all of us, that means we're better off to decide now the big things we want many years from now. When we make that decision, it must be with sufficient conviction that we will stick with it despite the inevitable obstacles, headwinds, and setbacks that make God laugh.

Planning: When it comes to the bigger goals we have in life, there's an advantage to starting early.

Another thing we can take from Geneva's journey is she knew precisely what it would take to give herself the best chance for success. She didn't know if she would be accepted into vet school. She knew all she could do was all she could do, and that's exactly what she did. She looked at their criteria. It's grades. Where you go to undergraduate school and why plays a factor. It's also work experience. They also look for candidates that show indications they will be successful, a credit to their schools. That means they look for leadership qualities in a person who is well-rounded.

Knowing all of this, Geneva chose Wilson College in Chambersburg because of its outstanding pre-veterinarian tech program. She knew she wanted to help sick animals. If she couldn't fulfill her dream as a doctor of veterinary medicine, she knew she could find long-term satisfaction as a veterinary technician. She applied herself both scholastically. She received only one A-minus throughout her entire undergraduate career and in her chosen profession. The average candidate accepted into vet school logs 1,100 hours of clinical experience before they begin. Through internships and jobs, Geneva is at 2,700 and counting.

This is the second takeaway we can learn from her example. We can choose our priorities. We can make the main thing the main thing. Geneva sacrificed many social hours she could have spent hanging out with friends or pursuing her other varied interests. She's an accomplished singer and dancer, for example. She put those on the back burner to maximize her chances of achieving her longer-term dream.

The things I've mentioned so far were all in her control, whether or not she would be accepted was not, but there were some additional strategies she used to maximize her chances. She also knew the power of networking. She knew that allies could help open doors, offer insights, and lighten our load. She made sure to befriend anyone who earned her respect in her chosen field. This included many of her professors, the veterinarians she worked alongside, and those dignitaries she met along her way, whether it be at in-person or virtual conferences. She continues to build an impressive network of accomplished people who, at the very least, know her and want her to be successful.

This is the third takeaway from Geneva's story. As we shoot for our dreams, remember the people's side of the equation. Relationships are crucially important, no matter what it is we want for ourselves. The best relationships are reciprocal. We show our admiration and respect for a person's accomplishments. In general, people like that. It's an emotional bank account deposit, to use a term coined by Stephen Covey. It's a very healthy habit to cultivate.

Relationships are crucially important, no matter what we want for ourselves. The best relationships are reciprocal.

We're not talking about blowing smoke here. People know the difference. We must be sufficiently open and humble enough to allow ourselves to admire. It's easier when we're younger. Everybody is further down the field, but as we grow and achieve ourselves, it's important to remember that everyone is worthy of respect and admiration, at least in some aspect. Choose wisely, but it's a good habit to collect people from whom we may learn and draw inspiration. When we give them the gift of being seen and heard, it's quite common that they will want to reciprocate and help us achieve our aims if they deem them worthy.

We are still in the celebratory glow of Geneva's achievement. Of the four schools she wanted to attend, she was waitlisted at two. The two schools she most wished to attend offered her spots. She's going to attend the University of Florida, her number-one choice for numerous reasons. I have the utmost confidence she will be an outstanding veterinarian.

How she got that dream, she got it honestly and early. Not all of us have that experience, but we all have dreams. If you have a big one, you're probably well on your way. If you don't, I would ask you. What matters most to you? Make that the center of your life, at least for the time necessary to make it a reality. It's not there by accident. It's time to make it happen. Let's go.