Don't Wait for the Perfect Plan

I took this picture of a bridge at a civil war memorial in Virginia. The Union army had these bridges built and transported to the battlefield so they could cross a river in Virginia. As someone who was born in a third world country and had seen many rudimentary bridges, several questions came to mind. Why not use logs? Why do you need such a nice bridge built to specs when the goal is to cross over a river as quickly as possible? How long did it take to build these bridges and transport them?

 If we look at history, the loud and clear conclusion is that the Union army in the beginning of the war did not want to engage in fighting (A good narration of the inaction of the Union army in the beginning of the war is in the book Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin). The first commander for the Union army, general George McClellan was always looking for the perfect occasion to attack. As a young and inexperienced commander, he was probably scared of the superior tactician General Lee. Had McClellan attacked sooner, very possibly, the civil war might not have dragged for so many years as it did.

 It occurs to me that many people wait for the perfect plan or perfect timing to act on their goals. Why for example wait for January to start working on personal goals? Why not take the first step in the direction of your goals, the one that seems so obvious that you don’t need any plans for it? The plans for future steps will come later. I wonder if sometimes, plans don't become a hindrance to execution. That is, these plans become a way to give us a false sense of comfort that we are taking actions.

 Don’t get me wrong, I like planning and to be at least two steps ahead. At the same time, my motto is to execute as fast as possible. Plans in my view are made to evolve and not be static. Nothing should prevent acting immediately on the next step; even the perfect plan.

Here is an example of taking the first step. I have a relative who wants to open a home healthcare business. So, what’s my advice as the first step? Get training from the local community college to be a home healthcare provider. She will need the training anyway. The business plan can come later.

 So, why take the first step before having an elaborate plan? One reason is that taking that first step prevents stagnation. As the saying goes a body in motion stays in motion. You are likely to learn information in taking that first step that can inform the plans for future steps.

Are you committed to a goal? Is there an obvious first step? What prevents you from taking that first step?