Why Plans Fail...
 

A wise man once said "Plans fail for lack of advisors"

It's exactly a year since I discovered and JOINED the SOWPub community.

To celebrate, I'll share a lesson I've learned about why plans fail.

In 2 words: BAD ADVICE.

That's why we need to be careful about who we choose as our advisors.

Sure, family members can mean well, but if they haven't done anything similar to your goals, you'll just overdose on old midwives scary tales.

So choose your advisors carefully.

They must be people who have actually gone ahead on the path where you're heading.

Not smooth-talking "gurus", with shiny suits and fast cars.

Thank you

Re: Why Plans Fail...
 

Here's some advice I came across the other day:

“O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies. They are, in fact, allies of one another. And whoever is an ally to them among you – then indeed, he is one of them. Indeed, Allah guides not the wrongdoing people.”

I wonder how reputable the advisor is who wrote those words. And, should I follow them? I'd hate to be entangled with wrongdoing people.

Just a thought...

Deep, but...
 

...the issue wasn't on the race/affiliation of the person I quoted but the VALUE in the quote.

With the Internet and all, bad advice has gone mainstream. And we all need to be alert.

Thanks

Re: Deep, but...
 

I sincerely believe your point. But doesn't affiliation play a part in VALUE? After all, what is/are the source(s) of your values? I won't talk race given the quote had no mention of race. That's an extraneous issue IMHO.

I'm old enough to remember bad advice B4 there was an Internet. It was very mainstream. For example, the fast buck real estate hucksters on late night TV.

That isn't to say your advice is invalid or shouldn't be listened to. It's only to say bad advice has been w/us for a long, long time.

Re: Deep, but...
 

… when the idea for the original post came, I planned to "celebrate" my ONE year on SOWPub by listing a few people who had given me great advice

I had also planned to ask people to share the names of people who had given them great advice.

In short, the original idea was to build mini-resource of "mentors"

Somehow I guess all that got lost in translation.

I agree with you that affiliation has a HUGE role to play in the results one gets in life.

Just imagine if I had met J F Jim Straw 20 years ago! How DIFFERENT could my life path have been!

Thankfully he left a legacy behind...

Unreliable advisors...
 

Hi,

Some of the most annoying people I find in life are people (who may be nice) who proceed to pretend they know about things which they actually don't!

Why do I find them so annoying?

It's because I can't trust any "facts" they give me... Sometimes someone tells me something, which I happen to know is wrong. Yet, they are insistent it's right, and that they are experts in it...

Suddenly, I find talking to them quite stressful. I have to remember to ignore anything they've told me - because they are not a reliable source of information... If I know they are "faking it" in one area, then they could be "faking it" in other areas, too!

I guess that can be one example of what you're talking about...

(Such people can be nice people, too! Just not reliable in their advice...!)

Best wishes,

Dien

This certainly rings true...
 

You're right, Dien

That's why it's important we know ourselves so we don't get overwhelmed by LOUD egos.

I've found that having a CLEAR idea of what I want to achieve helps me sieve out the sincerely wrong advice.

I think bad advice preys on confusion.

What do you think?

Re: This certainly rings true...
 

I think you're absolutely right!

This is advice I'm not always good at following myself... But I always seem to do better when I have a clear idea of the ultimate goal for what I am working on.

It clarifies what you should focus on (and what you should set aside), and it helps with motivation too!

The reality is, we all have multiple goals, which can complicate things (e.g. good health, good wealth, good relationships, etc.)... Sometimes they can conflict which each other, too...!

Best wishes,

Dien

A good tool is>>>
 

The SQ1 (bet you saw that one coming, eh)

5 lanes.
5 paths.
5 rings.

ONLY 5, then within one, say PHYSICAL, you have body; condition and location

When you SEE a series of cones on the highway in front of you, you know that beneath each is A PYRAMID OF ACCOMPLISHMENT (PLAN OF ACTION)

which begins with the end in mind.

Allowing for lane changes, to focus on whichever lane you are in, keeps you at least going in the right direction.

As a planning and "to do" list, the SQ1 is unbeatable. Maybe time I explained how?

Gordon