Backup Plans

When you have a goal or desire that is important to you, do you ever go into mental overdrive before you see the results? I know I have. I watch my clients do it, too.

You can go into overdrive in several ways:

*Think about every scenario possible that could go wrong
*Think about solutions for every scenario that could go wrong.
*Let anxiety strike, and when your head hits the pillow at night you have one-sentence mental loops like, “I’m not going to have enough money. I’m not going to have enough money.”
*Waver back and forth between two or three plans of attack to manifest your goal.
*Stew on the fact that you don’t know how to get the desire. You feel unclear and create anxiety on “being stuck” or not knowing the next steps.

Finally you create a plan for what you’ll do as a worst-case backup. Now you’re just flat out worn down and feel mentally beaten up.

If your backup plan doesn’t feel good, don’t count on it. Use a backup plan to soothe yourself, knowing you at least have a plan. Then make another decision. Make a plan - an intention - for the way you’d like to have it happen.

Some years ago, I had a rather large expense pop up that I hadn’t planned. The cash was not available, and the due date was looming. I say looming because I had begun to feel tension about not knowing how I was going to pay for it.

My mind searched for the worst-case scenario backup plan. The best I could come up with was to put it on a charge card. I checked in with how it felt. Not ideal, but hey, it’s a worst-case backup plan.

I let the backup plan take away my tension. Then I made the real plan: Attract new cash. Well, there was really no plan for how to do that. I just decided it would be so.

I checked in with my inner guidance and kept receiving the message that the money would arrive. I was going on pure trust because I was seeing no evidence that any new substantial amounts of money were coming to me.

Then the “hows” began to arrive. I called the company to which I owed the money and asked if they could give me another week. The answer was "yes". Cool.

Then I began to take a stand for the value that I bring to my current and future clients. I began speaking differently to inquiries about business. It wasn’t what I was saying but who I was being while I was communicating. It was not a conscious effort. It just happened. The result was more than enough money.

Two days later the money I needed for the expense showed up … and so much more. The backup plan was long forgotten by then. If you don’t have a plan, make a decision. Then allow your best-case plan to unfold.