Now is Better than Planning

I think General Patton said something to the effect of, “A good plan violently executed right now is far better than a perfect plan executed next week.” I think this applies to many aspects of life, including personal development. One of the great curses of anyone attempting to improve themselves, is the concept of “tomorrow, or next week, or monday.” The thought is that you first need a plan and then you can follow it and start doing better. The problem is that day never comes. I bet you everyone that has died from a preventable disease has had in their hearts that very morning, “starting Monday, I will start doing better at X.”

At any given moment, the best thing to do is what you already know how to do. You do not need any planning whatsoever to start executing what you already know how to do right now. You do not need any careful planning, or consideration. You just need to execute, now. Violently and with extreme purpose.

So if you find yourself having this thought that you need a plan to improve something, that maybe true, but rather than waiting until you have a plan, just start doing what you already know how to do. You will be more impressed with the results that you get from that effort then you ever will with whatever perfect plan you can concoct.

Guy Reams

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