Why Plans Fail – 2.0

Are you a perpetual planner?

Or are you a take-it-as-it-comes winger?

I’m Mary. And for years, I was PP – a nickname I thought my friends called me endearingly – Perpetual Planner. Turned out, it stood for something else altogether – Party Pooper.

 I have my sister to thank for the elegant name.

As is the way of classic sisters, Sally was my opposite – the wild child to my goody two-shoes. The Party Jane to my Tame Tabatha.

I was happy though. The limelight had never been my thing. I would much rather shine the spotlight than be in the center of it. And that’s just what I did, for many years – I was the manager of our high school’s drama club and later, technical head of my university’s theatre troupe.

While people around me sang and danced and cried on stage, I kept to the shadows, working furiously on setup and hanging backstage even when the cast and crew went up on stage after a performance. I knew where I wanted my life to go. I had it all planned out.

I had only one ultimate goal: Head of Event Planning at Cacao, an international retail chain that was known for its incredible clothing and even more incredible annual balls that was but a cover for their charitable fundraiser.

Cacao Ball was legendary, known for its crème de la crème invitees and silent auction which raised millions of dollars that would then be distributed amongst various charitable organizations in dire need of funds.

Cacao was a business with a soul and I wanted to be a part of it, ever since I was 11 years old and watched the ball being telecast. As I grew up and did my research, I learnt that it was the Head of Event Planning that organized the annual ball and put together the silent auction. Legend had it that the most their ball had ever raised in one night was 11 million dollars.

I was determined to beat it and go down in Cacao’s history.

After years of hard work and meticulous planning, I had finally come so close. I had an interview with Cacao two days later for the role of Marketing Associate. If I got the job, I would be working in the Event Management team, reporting directly to the Head of Event Planning. It was the opportunity of a lifetime, bringing me one step closer to my goal.

But here’s the thing about how to set goals – realism must be a factor. And I hadn’t accounted for that.

Let me cut a long story short – I was asked to try again next year. I don’t want to get into the why and how of it. It’s too depressing. But for the girl who had never failed, this failure seemed monumental, insurmountable.

Why is goal setting important even? Screw this.

That was the last coherent thought I remember having.

Fast forward to three years later – I’m Senior Marketing Associate at Cacao, on the fast-track.

How?

Well. I cut loose.

The night after the interview, I got drunk, stormed the offices of Cacao (not kidding), demanded to see Ms. Price (the Head then). On hearing the commotion, she walked out of her office. I proceeded to calmly and unwaveringly list out all the reasons I was a great fit at Cacao and how they were making a mistake by not hiring me.

A long 10 minutes later, I walked out, head held high. I made it all the way out before finding a nearby trash can and throwing up.

The next day, I got a call from Cacao. I was hired for my “bold and impetuous decision-making” which was exactly what they were looking for. Translation: loudly proclaiming my heart’s desire while inebriated out of my mind got me my dream job.

So, it wasn’t the perpetual planning which ended up getting me the job. When push came to shove, it was the take-it-as-it-comes winger side of me, which I got from Sally, that did.

Who am I today? PP or winger?

I’m both 😊 It was the planning which got me the impressive resume. And it was the winging which got me the career.

There’s no one or the other. We all carry both in us; we are all Mary and Sally.

And all I can say is this – it never hurts to have a plan, set a goal.

It always leads somewhere better than where we are at right now.