The time changed on Sunday night, giving us an extra hour of sleep. Or an extra hour in 2020, which is the last thing that most of us want. Like many of you, this has been a challenging year, and I’m eager for it to be over.
But who is to say that 2021 will be better? We have to plan for it to be better as it won’t happen automatically.
Life is like that. It doesn’t get better because the pages of the calendar continue to turn. You don’t get a promotion because you’ve been there the longest. You don’t get respected more because you have gray hair. Life isn’t fair. It has never been, and it never will be.
If you want your career to grow, give you stability, more money, and more responsibility, you have to treat it like an avocado.
[ctt template=”3″ link=”wcdX7″ via=”yes” ]If you want your career to grow, you have to treat it like an avocado.[/ctt]
When you are shopping for avocados, you know that you need to plan, so it is ripe when you need it to be. If you needed one for tonight and went to the supermarket, you wouldn’t find one ripe enough for tonight. It would be best if you bought them in advance.
If you didn’t plan properly, then the avocado won’t be ripe enough, potentially a little hard and lacking in taste. If you waited too long, it would be rotten. The period between not quite ready, perfect, overripe is short unless you plan for it and can anticipate it.
Your life is the same. Your career is the same. Relationships are the same.
If you plan ahead, you can accomplish what you need to get done to give you the result you need. If you want the office manager or chief of staff job at work, it won’t land in your lap one day unless you start working towards it and earning the promotion. Maybe you need to finish your degree or take on increasingly more responsible projects at work. You have to set yourself up to be ready for when the job is available.
If you wait until the job is posted and apply for it, you’re looking for instant gratification without advancing planning, without putting in the work required. It isn’t like to happen. You could get another job you are currently qualified for but not likely to get a great job you aren’t qualified for.
If you want to take a family vacation and planned to surprise everyone, it wouldn’t likely happen the way you were hoping it would. If I were to say, “Okay, family, I’ve planned an amazing family vacation in Hawaii for us all – all expenses paid. The plane leaves in the morning,” what are the odds that every family member would be able to go? They will all want to go, but not everyone will be able to. You might be very disappointed and wasted unnecessary money.
Planning is part of what I love about life. We are deep into our home renovation, and the planning is tricky. I can’t control when the electrician shows up. If he is late a day or two, that affects all the other trades I have lined up. As frustrating as it can be, I like looking at the schedule, making sure that I have everything that I need to get the job done, and build in a little wiggle room if something doesn’t go according to plan.
I do love to cook with avocados, and when I buy a big bag at Costco, I know that I need to plan out my meals to incorporate all of them. I have learned that if I have overripe avocados, I can cut them up and put them in the freezer. They are great in a smoothie. If they don’t ripen as quickly as I expect them to, I know I can put them in a brown bag with another fruit, and they will ripen much faster. If several ripen at the same time, I plan a night with guacamole.
By keeping my eyes on my avocados, I make sure that I don’t waste any of them. By keeping my eyes on my career, my bank account, and my relationships, I can make sure that my planning ensures I get the result that I want and need.
It isn’t easy, but oh so worth it to plan.
