Plans & Palindromes

A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!

is one of my favorite phrases because it is a Palindrome (it's the exact same phrase right to left). Here's another funny I picked up from a previous job when my company was talking about developing corporate vision (also funny in itself):

Purposefulness, n: The quality of having a purpose of aim.

Great philosophers have always pondered the question, "What is the meaning of life?" with little success. The much under-appreciated philosopher, system safety expert, super genius and Jedi master, Wile E. Coyote, provides another approach. He reframed the question: "What gives my life meaning?"

By having a vision, possibly unachievable, a mission connected to that vision, and a value system that provides a map to get there, life has meaning.

Example:
Vision: Tasty and succulent roasted roadrunner.
Mission: Catch the roadrunner.
Core Values: Innovation. Persistence. Good medical plan.

I've been thinking about the aspect of planning recently. I could blog a long time on vision and mission, but lately I've been really contemplating planning. Do I expect my vision and mission will simply happen as I live my life? Is it realistic to think that the roadrunner will fall into my cooking pot one day? If I claim to have a vision, but I'm not implementing a plan day by day to make that vision happen, am I really trying to make that vision happen? Or am I just daydream, saying "It would be nice if X fell into my lap."

I've been thinking about a quote of Paul's where he is talking about his mission and the way he lives his life as a result.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave...

Or my own paraphrase emphasizing what I've been thinking about "In the Olympics, any qualifying athlete has implemented strict training habits. Alan, in the same way, live out God's vision as though competing to win a gold medal. Good training habits include a plan: short term goals, long term goals, actions to take, and such."

A few questions I'm thinking about this week relating to the above:
- Can I articulately verbalize my vision and mission? Am I more committed to God or to my vision? (Will I alter my vision/mission cheerfully and willingly as God leads?)
- Am I using my time and money in a way that reflects my mission?
- Do I have short term (3-12 month) goals and steps for achieving these goals?
- Do I have long term (1-10 year) goals and starting steps for these goals?
- Are my plans realistic for my personality, my life situation, and my limitations? (Have I gotten advice from others?)
- Are my plans balanced? Do they include the aspects of life that I tend to ignore such as sleep/relaxation and serving others?