Tuesday, October 19, 2010

The importance of planning

From Dan Galvin's Thought For The Day mailing list:

The plan may be useless, but the planning process is invaluable.

-Dwight D. Eisenhower
As quoted in "Disaster Recovery Journal" Spring 2003


Helmuth von Moltke the Elder said that "No plan of operations extends with certainty beyond the first encounter with the enemy's main strength." Or more concisely: "No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy."

Both President Eisenhower and Helmuth recognize that you can't follow plans blindly. There is value in the thought that goes into making the plans, but then you have to be flexible when the situation goes in ways you didn't anticipate.

This is true for war, and for life in general.

It is important to think about how you want to raise your children, be involved with your community, support your church, pursue your career and so on. By thinking about these issues, you will make better decisions, but then you have to be flexible when life doesn't go exactly as you had expected.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Homeschool strategy means being prepared for bias against homeschoolers when they reach college. Interesting article on that subject here:

http://www.superscholar.org/can-homeschooling-be-a-handicap/

~AJ

ian said...

Nice list. I will use it in future. Thanks for the efforts to make this list!Nice list. I will use it in future. Thanks for the efforts to make this list!