Hope for the best, plan for the worst
March 11th, 2009 | Published in Personal Growth
This is a saying I grew up hearing from my mom: Hope for the best, plan for the worst. This has stuck with me for years. If you really think about it, this is a great mental attitude to have about life. What better way to live than with hope and preparedness?
The beginning of the saying is inspirational. Live life to the fullest, be hopeful and inspired by all that life may have to offer. Don’t be afraid to dream big, and to chase those dreams. It applies in the littlest situations to the biggest (from planning an outing to deciding on a career path).
The end of the saying advises caution. Don’t jump into the deep end of a pool without some lifeline (knowing how to swim, life jacket, life guard). If you chase your hopes at random, with no plan, and no fallback plan, it’s like driving down the wrong side of the freeway blindfolded. Unless you get extremely lucky, you’re not going to make it out in good shape.
Don’t take the second to an extreme – you can usually balance it based on the weight of the situation. Of course, there’s the slight chance a tragedy could occur while you’re on the picnic but you don’t need to have an ambulance on hand. If you’re going to attempt to swim the Atlantic Ocean, you should notify the appropriate authorities and have medical assistance ready in the very probably chance of failure.
So dream big! Just be smart in how you chase them.
How do you interpret this saying? Leave your thoughts in the comments!
Photo cred: wheat in your hair@flickr
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