One term at my work is also familiar to any business that uses detailed plans, though likely with a different name. No matter what the name, the thought process and the flow is always the same. A unit of work is selected, started, processed and completed. The scale of work may be different, and the presentation may different, though everything else is the same.
Fast food workers and airline engine mechanics both follow the same general process. An Airline with a plane needing engine work, can not use the plane until the engine maintenance is completed. Customer at fast food drive throughs can not have their food order until it is cooked, put together, and all parts of the order are completed and verified.
Life over a period of living, no matter how many hears that may be, lived successfully also follows a pattern. Those of us that follow the pattern in the most correct sequence are what our peers call successful in our lives. Others of us who neglect the sequence, or neglect early parts of the sequence jumping ahead of where they should be are rarely successful.
People who vaguely follow a life plan are not generally overly successful. They fail for reasons outside of their control. People who choose not to follow a life plan, and are successful, are usually successful because of conditions or results outside of their control. For others whose life is less than successful have made mistakes and outside influences outside of their control occurred worsening the outcome of their life.
While only you know the intimate details of your life, almost everyone follows the same general life plan whether aware of following a plan or not. The plan starts out with your birth, no surprise there. The next steps can be thought of as a tree growing branches and reaching out.
Your life is what it is. Your parents did their best to get you to this moment. Now you are starting to, or are in control of your life. You may be working on your higher education, you have friends, and hobbies or entertainment. The basic things we all want in our lives.
The next step is future building, and this is where risk enters your life. Life decisions become more serious and starting out on our own we have little experience to help us. What are you going to do for a living? We all held job for a paycheck, but it is always time to think about your working life. What are you going to do for a career, and will your job choice be there for your working life or will you have to change jobs in the future?
Thinking about and starting serious long term relationships is usually the next big step. What are you deep down? What kind of person do you think you can spend your life with? Is that type of person willing to spend their life with you? These are serious questions. You may want to marry someone completely different than you are. Is it likely you will have enough in common with someone completely different than yourself to hold together a long term relationship? Long term relationships go well beyond sex, and the same taste in music, what you want in one needs some deep thought.
Farther in the future, we all get the urge to do something for our community. When this happens depends on a number of things. Generally we want to do something that aligns us with our family interests or values. Perhaps coaching, passing along skills like scouting perhaps. Something where you could include your family, as your time is more limited than your intentions.
Later on we have hobbies and interests which have probably changed over the years. We now want to branch out and teach or share our satisfactions with others. Finding and creating a balance is very important for in life at this time. We have more surplus time than at any point before and would prefer to do something meaningful and fulfilling with it.
This is the way most of go about living our lives, and generally we do a pretty good job of having a satisfying life. We also add warmth and pleasure to the lives of others along the way. Of course this is a simple glowing overview of life from a very high level. The details of our life is much more complex and at times gritty.
We have structured ourselves and our society for certain events to happen at certain times, or physical ages. We generally do not quit school to go to work, marry at a very young age, or have the luxury of retiring young.
Some of us reject this way of living. Being a rebel has its moments, but even Rebel’s have a life pattern they must follow to be successful, although it is different from the norm. We should all take the time to identify where we are in life, and what we should be doing as we go through our lives. Going with the flow is always easier than swimming against the current. It is also a little sweeter.
