There’s always something to howl about.

Plan B – The World Doesn’t Need To Know

How many times have we given thought to a list of outcomes we’d love to make real in our lives? It frequently seems a never-ending process, almost against our will. Once an outcome morphs itself into a goal-worthy project, we apply our energy towards its attainment. Most goals people set aren’t met. Either they didn’t have sufficient desire, or if they did, the strategy invoked was ill equipped or mis-applied, the result being equally dissatisfying.

Assuming sufficient desire, and that the strategy itself was faulty, not its application, a new approach is required.

Plan B

This isn’t about what Plan B is or isn’t. It’s about us deciding whether or not to broadcast it to the world. There are some outcomes and/or strategies almost guaranteed to work better, or more bluntly put, work at all, when kept under the radar. It could simply be that you’d rather keep the desired outcome to yourself. Or, it could be the strategy you wish to keep undercover. The reasons don’t matter. You have your own. We all do, right?

A case in point.

In the early 80’s I knew a nice woman who was dangerously over weight. It’d been that way since early childhood. One day it dawned on me I hadn’t seen or heard from her in awhile. I called, but her number had been disconnected. Almost two years later I was dumbfounded, as there she was at a Christmas gathering. She’d lost well over 100 pounds. Nobody except her grandparents had known what she was up to or where she was. (She’d moved to live with them as part of her Plan B.)

We’d been relatively close, so she confided in me. Everyone insisted on making a huge deal of her weight, whether she was gaining or losing. It’d been emotionally debilitating. She’d resolved to lose the weight, but away from pryin’ eyes. Nobody could’ve interrupted her strategic process if they were unaware of its existence.

You can’t argue with success, though some insist on trying.

There are some outcomes, some strategies, for which public knowledge is counterproductive. That judgment is for each of us to make, not anyone else. Whatever the reason, the choice to keep your goal and/or strategy under the radar is your own, and sufficient unto itself. It need not be justified.

Most of the outcomes I’ve chosen to pursue have been designed to remain concealed and anonymous. It’s difficult to run a train off its track if you’re unaware of its existence. On these pages I’ve shared goals for which there could be little or no surprise. Nobody gives a rat’s patootie if an agent announces a sales or listing goal.

On the other hand, making some goals public, even semi-public can either tip your hand, resulting in the reduction of potential results, or worse, roadblock the attainment of the sought after results altogether. Do you really want your competition on the lookout for your new marketing materials? Have a new concept you’re absolutely positive will blow the doors off? Keep it to yourself. Perfect it without distraction from those who would derail your plans. Their intent is completely irrelevant.

Derailed is derailed.

Whether it’s business, personal, or floating on the endless sea of gray found in the middle, I ask myself if there’s any likelihood whatsoever that the goal’s chances for success will be enhanced by making anyone else aware of its existence.

Sometimes our goals are protective or defensive in nature. When your agenda is your own, others can’t sabotage you, whether well meaning or with bad intent. A good friend of mine once decided to set up a team. HIs office offered many solid candidates, but he didn’t wanna risk losing any of his A-List choices due to anyone else beating him to the punch. To this day he’s convinced keeping his goal to himself was crucial to landing the agents he wanted most.

What goal are you contemplating that might be more easily accomplished or attained earlier if you just kept it to yourself? Folks can’t sabotage your efforts when they have no idea there’s an agenda in play.

Food for thought. More goals are created and planned for in the last month of each year than at any other time. What advantages/benefits might be gained if you choose stealth as part of your strategy? Find out how cool it feels to accomplish a goal before anyone even realizes it was on your radar.

The world doesn’t need to know everything you’ve put on your menu — does it?