Support: Recalculating

recalculatingThe best we can do is size up the chances, calculate the risks involved, estimate our ability to deal with them, and then make our plans with confidence. ~ Henry Ford

Guest post by Bill Robertson

GPS Navigation systems are wonderful!  Entering your desired destination can make getting there much easier.  However, even with my GPS, sometimes I still make a wrong turn or miss an exit.  When I do, the GPS responds with one word, “Recalculating”.  Meaning we will still get there but it will take longer.  The GPS never gets angry or puts me down.  It never tells me I am a failure or will never reach my destination. I don’t throw the device out the window and say it doesn’t work just because I made one wrong turn.

Just one simple word, “Recalculating”.

When I hear that word, I think about how nice it would be if we lived our lives the same way.  For example, we set out on a weight loss plan.  We start with a goal we want to reach and set a time table for reaching it.  Things go well for a while and then it happens—we mess up!  We take a wrong turn and get off plan.  How do we respond?  How do those around us respond?  Do we throw our hands up and give up altogether?  Do we spend our time beating ourselves up because we didn’t follow the plan?  Or, do we back up and calmly say, “Recalculating”?  “I can’t change what happened but I can start again where I am and still walk toward my goal”.

As a financial coach I have opportunities to sit down with people and help develop a spending plan.  We discuss goals and determine the best course of action to get where they want to go.  However, overspending or emergency expenses cause them to get off track at times.  At those times, we shouldn’t throw our plan out the window and say it didn’t work.  We simply “Recalculate” and allow the plan to get us back on the road to our destination.

It seems we often spend so much of our time and energy beating ourselves up over something that happened in the past.  We agonize over past events that we cannot change and blame them for our current situation.  Why not stop focusing on past failures and set our focus on what lies ahead?  We can choose our route and our destination for today and tomorrow.  Yesterday is gone.  Learn from it and change what you can change as you move forward.  When you find yourself tempted to throw it all out the window, remember that one simple word, “Recalculating”.

4 Comments on Support: Recalculating

  1. Marcia DesRosiers says:

    I love it!! great advice – thanks for sharing

    • Biz says:

      Bill is a great writer, kind of hits you hard but gentle at the same time!

  2. Linda Wilson says:

    I really like this article and funny, how I just came across it now when I decided today that I need to recalculate my plans and take an interruption until Monday and then restart. I think it is better to recalculate than to give up. I have chose to readjust my plans and not give up before reading this. I am glad I did and got reassurance to boot!

    • Biz says:

      Isn’t it great that sometimes we get the information we need at just the right time? Good deal! Thanks for visiting and for commenting!

Leave a Reply to Biz Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *