Preparation Schmeparation

At the beginning of this year, at the office where I spend most of my days, we made a pact to be more organized, efficient and prepared for the chaos that sneaks in and surrounds us. We identified our weak areas, brainstormed, got creative, and came up with some excellent ideas and procedures. We implemented our new plans and things we're going well. Then we had our first quarter review and saw that our sales were down. Not because of our new policies, but because of the changing economy, gas prices, etc. So, we re-evaluated and made some more changes, and now we're basically back to our old ways. It's August now, the pre-holiday rush is about to begin, and it's time to start preparing for the next round. But today as I was contemplating a new structure for the coming months, I stopped myself. I think I finally figured something out.

I'm wasting my time preparing for what's coming. Most likely, whatever I think is going to happen in the future, probably won't. Just take it as it comes. Expect the worst, hope for the best and get on with it.

I think it must be bad Karma to be prepared. I have this nagging feeling that had we not held these pre-planning meetings and gotten so damn prepared, sales would be higher.

Our best laid plans have gone awry.